Policy impacts of intellectual property and academic research trends in marine-derived collagen and chitin/chitosan value chains

The present study focuses on the uses of the marine-derived biopolymers collagen and chitin/chitosan according to registered patents and scientific publications. Both biopolymers are isolated from underutilized parts of marine organisms, such as fish, crustaceans, and molluscs. Marine-derived collagen is notable for its biocompatibility and biodegradability, making it valuable in biomedical applications. Chitin and its derivative chitosan are valued for their biodegradability and antimicrobial properties, useful in food packaging and water treatment. The detailed analyses of patents and scientific publications for nearly a century revealed that patents substantially outnumber scientific publications (5.6 and 2.5 times more patents than scientific publications for collagen and chitin/chitosan, respectively), suggesting a misalignment between academic research and industrial innovation. Geographical disparities were also evident, particularly between Asia and Europe. Asian countries such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) display robust patenting activity far exceeding their scientific output (e.g., PRC holds 1681 patents against only 89 scientific publications for collagen) while European countries show lower patent outputs despite high scientific research volumes. Patents primarily focus on high-value sectors like biomedicine and pharmaceutics for collagen and food and feed industries for chitin/chitosan, whereas scientific publications explore a broader array of applications, many underrepresented in patent filings. This indicates potential unexploited areas supported by academic findings. Addressing these gaps, especially in Europe, could lead to a more dynamic blue biotechnology sector that fully leverages the capabilities of these marine-derived biopolymers, fostering sustainable development and economic growth. • Gap between marine biopolymers patent documents and scientific publications. • Patent activity in marine biopolymers development is higher in Asia than Europe. • Patents’ innovation potential in medicine (collagen) and food/feed (chitin/chitosan). • Addressing Gaps in Europe can boost European’ blue biotechnology.