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.