CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the most important laboratory for particle physics in the world. It requires cutting edge technologies to deliver scientific discoveries. This paper investigates the time span needed for technology suppliers of CERN to absorb the knowledge acquired during the procurement relation and develop it into a patent. We estimate count data models relying on a sample of CERN suppliers for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a particle accelerator. Firms in our sample received their first LHC-related order over a long-time span (1995–2008). This fact is exploited to estimate the time lag that separates the beginning of the procurement relationship and the filing date of patents. Becoming a supplier of CERN is associated with a statistically significant increase in the number of patent applications by firms. Moreover, such an effect requires a relatively long gestation lag in the range of five to eight years.

欧洲核研究组织CERN是世界上最重要的粒子物理学实验室。它需要尖端技术来提供科学发现。本文研究了CERN的技术供应商吸收在采购关系中获得的知识并将其发展为专利所需的时间。我们根据粒子加速器大型强子对撞机（LHC）的CERN供应商样本估算计数数据模型。我们样本中的公司在很长一段时间内（1995年至2008年）收到了他们与LHC相关的第一笔订单。利用这一事实来估计将采购关系开始和专利申请日期分开的时间滞后。成为CERN的供应商与企业专利申请数量的统计上显着增加有关。此外，这种影响需要五到八年的相对较长的妊娠滞后。