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2026 Vol.61, Issue 4 Preview Page
Analyzing Technological Knowledge Creation Networks of Korean Universities: Focusing on Inventor Proximity and Technological Cohesion

한국 대학의 기술지식 창출 네트워크 분석 - 발명자 근접성과 기술 응집성을 중심으로 -

Heejae Chunga*
정 희재a*
aMA Department of Geography, Seoul National University
a서울대학교 지리학과 석사
*Corresponding Author
31 August 2026. pp. 545-560
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Abstract

This study investigates the spatial patterns of technological knowledge creation activities by universities in South Korea. Using patent data involving university applicants, we examine university knowledge networks from two complementary perspectives, physical space and technological space. In the physical dimension, we calculate the Weighted Average Inventor Distance (WAID) for each university based on the geographical distance between universities and inventors. In the technological dimension, we measure the Weighted Average Relatedness (WAR) using the degree of relatedness among technological fields. The results indicate that university knowledge creation is primarily grounded in geographical proximity, while universities located outside the Seoul metropolitan area rely, to some extent on long-distance collaborations within metropolitan partners. In contrast, technological knowledge creation exhibits relatively limited variation across universities in terms of technological relatedness. Furthermore, among non-metropolitan universities, we identify a distinct group characterized by strong local collaboration and relatively weak connections to the metropolitan area, suggesting that university knowledge networks are heterogeneous even within non-metropolitan regions. These findings highlight that university-centered regional innovation policies should account for the diverse spatial and technological collaboration patters of universities, taking into consideration the specific regional and industrial contexts in which they operate.

Keywords
Universities
Patents
Regional Innovation Systems (RIS)
Networks
Capital Region Concentration
Proximity

본 논문의 목적은 한국 대학의 기술지식 창출이 공간적으로 전개되는 양상을 살펴보는 것이다. 이를 위하여 대학이 출원에 참여한 특허 자료를 기반으로 물리적 공간과 기술적 공간 두 가지 측면에서 네트워크 분석을 수행하였다. 물리적 공간 면에서는 발명자와 대학 간의 거리를 기반으로 대학별 가중평균발명자거리(WAID)를 산출하고 기술적 공간 면에서는 기술 간의 관련성을 바탕으로 대학별 가중평균기술관련성(WAR)을 계산하였다. 그 결과 대학의 기술지식 창출은 일차적으로 지리적 근접성을 기반으로 이루어지는 한편, 비수도권 대학들은 수도권과의 원거리 협력에 일부 의존하고 있는 양상을 확인하였다. 기술 응집성 면에서는 대학별 편차가 크지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 비수도권 대학들 중에 수도권 연결 비중이 작고 국지적 연계 비중이 높은 유형이 발견되며, 비수도권 내부에서도 대학의 네트워크 형태가 상이하게 형성됨을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 결과는 대학을 중심으로 한 지역혁신 정책을 설계할 때, 지역과 산업의 맥락 따라 상이한 연계 관계를 면밀히 고려할 필요가 있음을 시사한다.

키워드
대학
특허
지역혁신체계(RIS)
네트워크
수도권 집중
근접성
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Geographical Society
  • Publisher(Ko) :대한지리학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
  • Journal Title(Ko) :대한지리학회지
  • Volume : 61
  • No :4
  • Pages :545-560
  • Received Date : 2026-06-25
  • Revised Date : 2026-08-06
  • Accepted Date : 2026-08-11
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.22776/kgs.2026.61.4.545
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