Why Open Access Matters for Innovation Strategy in the UK

In the rapidly evolving landscape of innovation strategy, access to knowledge is no longer a "nice to have" - it is increasingly a strategic asset. A recent preprint study Open Science, Open Innovation? The Role of Open Access in Patenting Activity(arXiv:2508.00829, May 2025) by Abdelghani Maddi, Ahmad Yaman Abdin and Francesco Fdp de Pretis provides valuable insights into how patents incorporate scientific literature. This research, currently available as a preprint on arXiv, offers important evidence about the relationship between open science and technological innovation.

The research examines how patents use Non-Patent References (NPRs) to incorporate scientific knowledge, revealing significant regional variations in how scientific research translates into patenting activity. The study finds that Europe and Oceania show stronger engagement with scientific knowledge in their patenting processes, which has important implications for UK innovation strategy.

Key Insights for UK Practitioners

The research highlights several important patterns that UK organisations should consider:

• Regional Innovation Patterns: Europe demonstrates particularly strong connections between scientific research and patenting activity. This suggests that UK firms and institutions are well-positioned to leverage scientific knowledge for technological innovation, provided they have effective access to relevant research.

• The Open Access Advantage: The study provides evidence that open-access publications are disproportionately represented in patent citations compared to subscription-based publications. While further research could refine our understanding of exactly why this occurs, the pattern is clear: when scientific knowledge is freely accessible, it appears more likely to influence technological innovation. This has direct implications for how UK organisations think about both consuming and producing research.

• Strategic Implications: The research demonstrates a clear open access advantage in patent citations, suggesting that organisations publishing in open access formats may see greater impact in terms of technological applications. For UK organisations, this reinforces the strategic value of both accessing open research and making their own research outputs freely available.

Practical Recommendations for UK Organisations

Based on these insights, UK firms, universities, and innovation-focused organisations might consider:

• Open Access Strategy: Given the evidence that open access publications are more likely to be cited in patents, consider prioritising open access publishing for research outputs where you want maximum technological impact. This could include depositing preprints, choosing open access journals, or negotiating open access clauses in publishing agreements.

• Knowledge Accessibility: While open access shows particular promise, ensure comprehensive access to scientific literature through appropriate combinations of institutional subscriptions and open resources. The goal is removing barriers that might prevent your innovators from building on relevant scientific knowledge.

• Innovation Partnerships: The strong science-industry connections evident in European patenting suggest opportunities for enhanced collaboration between UK academic institutions and industry partners.

• Policy Engagement: Support continued development of infrastructure that enables knowledge access, whether through traditional academic channels, open access initiatives, or emerging hybrid models.

Looking Forward

The relationship between scientific knowledge accessibility and innovation outcomes is complex and evolving. While this research provides valuable insights into regional patterns of science-industry interaction, the specific mechanisms and optimal approaches for different types of organisations require ongoing investigation.

For UK practitioners in strategy, innovation, and organisational development, the key message is clear: knowledge accessibility should be considered a strategic factor in innovation planning. As the UK continues to invest in innovation and research commercialisation, the policies, structures, and practices around knowledge access will likely play an increasingly important role in determining innovation outcomes.

Readers interested in the specific findings should consult the original research paper for detailed methodology and results