Advancing genetics of agriculture and biomolecules: A BERTopic-based analysis of research evolution in leading agricultural universities

This study investigates the evolution of research at leading agricultural universities, with a particular focusing on genetics of agriculture and biomolecules as central themes. The objective is to identify trends, knowledge evolution pathways, and the relationship between scientific innovation and technological application. Utilizing the BERTopic model, a word-embedding-based topic extraction approach, the study analyzed data from cited articles and citing patents sourced from Web of Science and Lens databases. Key methodologies included advanced text preprocessing, topic clustering using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) and Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (HDBSCAN), and knowledge evolution analysis based on topic heat and cosine similarity metrics. The findings indicate that research on the genetics of agriculture and biomolecules play a critical role in driving both fundamental science and application-oriented innovation. A strong correlation between cited articles and citing patents was observed, particularly at institutions such as the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. Notably, genetics-related scientific outputs were associated with denser knowledge networks, while biomolecule-focused patents demonstrated more pronounced application trends, highlighting the translational potential of these innovations. Over time, research in genetics of agriculture and biomolecules intensified, underpinning their critical role in addressing global challenges like food security and sustainable development. This analysis offers insights into interdisciplinary convergence and the dynamic interplay between science and technology, contributing to strategic planning and policy development for agricultural innovation.