No.83 December 1, 2004   Strategic Intellectual Property Portfolio Management: Technology Appraisal by Using the "Technology Heat Map"   Masayuki MIYAKE, Yuji MUNE, and Keiichi HIMENO       The research and development (R&D) investment of major manufacturers has reached an annual level of several hundred billion yen. Questions are being raised as to whether this investment amount is efficient from the perspective of its effectiveness. Company executives now face a variety of opportunities that require sophisticated analyses and decisions. These include the re-evaluation of intellectual property portfolios centered on patents held by a company, and evaluation of the business values of candidate companies in considering M&A (merger and acquisition).         To help support the intellectual property portfolio management of these companies, Nomura Research Institute (NRI) has developed a new analysis solution called the "Technology Heat Map." This method analyzes the status of patent applications filed in specific technology fields and provides visualizations of the technology fields that each company is focusing on as well as highly competitive fields. Accordingly, this map can be applied as an analytical method to support the formulation of R&D strategies, the search for target companies for M&A and the evaluation of intellectual property portfolios.        This solution is expected to offer a common-language-like role for people in industry, academia and government who recognize the importance of information sharing in the operation of intellectual properties. Contents I Company's R&D: Current Status and Required Improvements   1 High-Level R&D Investment and Improvements Required of Management   2 Sluggish Ranking in World Competitiveness   3 Difficulty in Introducing an Intellectual Property Management Cycle   4 Start of Activities to Publish Intellectual Property Reports II Proposing Strategic Intellectual Property Portfolio Management   1 Process of Intellectual Property Management   2 PPM Analysis   3 Technology Heat Map Analysis III Examples of Analyses Using the Technology Heat Map   1 Intellectual Property Portfolio and Efficiency in R&D   2 Intellectual Property Portfolio Related to Mobile Communications IV Toward the Formulation of Future R&D Strategy   1 R&D Strategy in Industry, Academia and Government   2 Expanded Use of Technology Heat Maps   3 Formulating Strategy Including the Perspective of M&A   4 Vitalizing the Operation of Intellectual Properties GO to PDF