Introduction: Special Issue on Tech Mining Technological Forecasting and Social Change

Introduction This special issue of Technological Forecasting and Social Change addresses the topic of “tech mining.” Tech mining strives to inform science, technology and innovation (“ST&I”) management by applying text mining to exploit searches of electronic science and technology databases [1]. It is richly informed by work in fields such as information retrieval, scientometrics and content analysis. Current tech mining efforts co-exist with related efforts, including technology futures analysis, research evaluation and competitive intelligence. Contrast tech mining with traditional ST&I policy and management practices. Traditional processes rely mainly on expertise. This could be anything from asking the “right-hand man” to convening multi-tier expert panels. The former relies excessively on casual knowledge; the latter tends to be slow and expensive. Both neglect the rich intelligence to be gleaned from data resources. Tech mining takes information already compiled, for whatever purposes, and exploits it just when needed. It derives knowledge pertinent to the issue at hand. For instance, today we might search fuel cell patents to help assess how crowded the landscape is to help assess our new program initiative. Tomorrow, we might mine fuel cell patents to identify which other companies are the best prospects to license our intellectual property. In both cases, we get the intelligence immediately; we don’t have to wait for a third party to perform special studies taking months. Tech mining is not restricted to mining abstract publication and patent records. It combines text and numerical data to best answer the questions confronting us. It draws on multiple content sources; for instance, checking websites after database search result analyses spotlight the key players. It particularly gains from incorporating expertise in formulating analyses and in reviewing preliminary results to spot gaps and offer interpretations. Tech mining is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on skills of ST&I analysts, information professionals, technical specialists, and technology managers. Probably the best way to get a feel for this field is to read a sample of active research and practice – hence, this issue.