Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
There are no studies of the R&D-to-patenting relationship at the federal agency level. We estimate a public sector knowledge production function using federal agency patent application data over the years 2003 through 2014. We find that the patent application elasticity with respect to per capita R&D spending is about 1.06. This measure might be interpreted as one dimension of the social returns to public sector R&D generated through newly created knowledge.