This paper examines whether regions with early leadership in scientific research in an emerging technology achieve lasting patenting advantage in that technology. Using data on 27 emerging technologies (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing) across U.S. Metropolitan regions over 20 years, we find that these ”pioneer” regions achieve a large and increasing patenting advantage. This effect is strongest in ”super-cluster” regions — those that combine pioneering scientific research in an emerging field with robust patenting capacity in related domains. Our findings highlight the critical role of early scientific leadership in shaping regional patenting trajectories, and offer policy insights for fostering technological invention in emerging technologies.

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