In this paper, we compared the efficiencies of national R&D investments between NT (Nanotechnology) areas in terms of papers, patents, and commercializations, and found ways to improve the efficiencies of national R&D investments for each NT area. This is in response to huge R&D investments government has made recently in NT areas.Here, we collected data on investments, papers, patents, and commercializations for the R&D projects in NT areas through National Science & Technology Information Service. Based on the data, we analyzed the investment and performances (papers, patents, and commercializations) for each NT area, calculated the efficiency for each NT area, and compared the efficiencies between NT areas. Next, using cluster analysis, we identified several NT areas with similar characteristics in terms of paper efficiency, patent efficiency and commercialization efficiency. Finally, we derived implications for the efficiency enhancement for each grouping.The cluster analysis showed that there could be two groups, one being low in terms of technological outcome (papers and patents) efficiencies and high in terms of commercialization efficiencies, while the other being high in terms of technological outcome (papers and patents) efficiencies and low in terms of commercialization efficiencies. Therefore, the strategy for one group calls for support for technology transfer or technology introduction from other R&D performers and grant of guidance for improving R&D performers’ commercialization ability to other R&D performers while the strategy for the other group calls for R&D support for transfer of technology to other R&D performers, activation of technology transfer and support for commercialization of R&D performers.

The external R&D, which includes the adoption of the external technology and knowledge in addition to the internal R&D, is one of important factors for the innovation. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the external R&D has been considered as a key factor to carry out the innovation more efficiently due to the limitations of their resources and capacities. However, most of extant studies related to external R&D have focused on analyzing the influence of external R&D on innovation outputs or outcomes. Only a few studies have explored the impact of external R&D on the innovation efficiency. This study therefore investigates whether the external R&D effects the industry’s innovation efficiency and productivity. On this study, we used Korean manufacturing industry data of SMEs from 2012 to 2014 and employed a global Malmquist productivity analysis technique, which is based on the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), to assess the innovation efficiency and productivity. Innovation performances of external R&D group and internal R&D group are compared. Then, the sectoral patterns of both innovation efficiency and productivity are analyzed with respect to the technological intensity, which is introduced by OECD. The results show that the gap of innovation efficiency between external and internal R&D groups has gradually decreased because of the continuous improvement of the external R&D group’s performance, while the external R&D group lag behind the internal R&D group. In addition, patterns of the innovation efficiency and productivity change were different depending on the technological intensity, which means that the higher the technological intensity, the greater the effect of external R&D.

The growth of the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) industry is attracting attention as a powerful means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; the Korean government is supporting various efforts such as increasing R&D investment. Despite the importance of the WTE industry, the analysis of R&D efficiency remains insufficient. This study analyzes the R&D efficiency of the Korean WTE industry and its determinants. After R&D activities are separated into input and output, R&D efficiency is analyzed with regard to whether R&D input contributes to increased R&D output using multiple regression and logistic regression methodologies based on the survey of Korean WTE firms. In the results of analysis, the introduction of new products and services was positively affected by R&D manpower and education-training. In addition, the redesign of products and processes was positively affected by R&D expenditure, R&D manpower, education-training, and the reward system. The policy implication is that education and training for R&D manpower should be provided to improve R&D efficiency, and there should be investment in basic and applied research and development research should be expanded to gain global compETitiveness.