  Via the Internet, information scientists can obtain cost-free access to large
databases in the hidden or deep web. These databases are often structured far
more than the Internet domains themselves. The patent database of the U.S.
Patent and Trade Office is used in this study to examine the science base of
patents in terms of the literature references in these patents.
University-based patents at the global level are compared with results when
using the national economy of the Netherlands as a system of reference. Methods
for accessing the on-line databases and for the visualization of the results
are specified. The conclusion is that 'biotechnology' has historically
generated a model for theorizing about university-industry relations that
cannot easily be generalized to other sectors and disciplines.
