A new approach to measuring invention commercialization: An application to the SBIR program

Measuring the commercialization of patented inventions remains a key challenge in innovation studies. This paper introduces a novel, web-based method for tracking the commercialization of patented inventions. The method leverages targeted web searches to identify online traces of commercialization, offering a scalable alternative to surveys and case studies. We apply this method to patents arising from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Small Business Innovation Research program, linking 3070 patents to procurement contracts and assessing their commercialization outcomes. The results indicate that 21.5% of these patents show signs of commercialization, with variations across R&D stages and contract phases. The method provides a systematic way to identify market adoption of patented technologies and can be extended to other contexts where identifying commercialized patents is relevant. • Novel web-based method to track the commercialization of patented inventions. • Applied to SBIR-funded patents, linking about 3000 patents to procurement contracts. • Finds 21.5% commercialization rate, varying by R&D stage and contract phase.