Openness vs. secrecy in nanotechnology

Previous research appearing in R&D Management, International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning and other journals has examined issues regarding openness vs. secrecy with scientific information for corporations, and found that openness was quite important in the US pharmaceutical industry. Extending those previous studies, I employ data obtained from Nanobank on the nanotechnology field to examine whether openness is important in that arena also. My results are that openness (i.e., publications) is a very significant predictor of research and development (R&D) performance (patenting) for corporations. The implication is that it is likely prudent for firms to adopt a more open policy toward publication, somewhat similar to that of universities and research institutes, to further their R&D efforts and results.