R&D and the Boundaries of the Firm
- University-Industry Collaborations and Research Alliances in Biotechnology -

1. The Aim of the Conference

With the growing emphasis on science-based innovations, the issue of the boundaries of the firm has become more and more important not only from the viewpoint of business strategy but also from that of national science and technology policy.

The issue of the boundaries of the firm has been traditionally discussed in relation to make-or-buy decisions in the vertical chain of production to discuss how much of the supply of materials and parts is (and should be) integrated within an assembler. This issue, it has become recognized, is also important in relation to research and development (R&D). No firm can complete the whole process of R&D by themselves, as every firm depends on universities, public laboratories, and other public institutions for the supply of basic scientific knowledge. In addition, they now procure a significant part of their R&D works from outside, by outsourcing routine research-related works, such as data analyses and experiments, and commissioning research or participating in joint research with not only other firms (established firms or new start-ups) but also public laboratories and universities.

Nowhere is this shift more obvious than in biotechnology in which the distance between academic research and development has substantially narrowed through, for instance, the development of genome research and genetic engineering. As a result, the impact of the so-called biotechnology revolution on the R&D boundaries of the firm has been profound. From the national viewpoint, this fact strongly suggests that a nation can never succeed in promoting biotechnology-related industries unless it is equipped with a sufficiently large resource of scientific knowledge and expertise that the firms can tap into.

The NISTEP Conference intends to investigate this issue, with presentations by internationally renowned scholars and business experts, and is hoped to provide opportunities for the participants to deepen their understanding of the issues of R&D and the boundaries of the firm.

2. Date

12 February 2004, Thursday

3. Venue

Hall D7, Tokyo International Forum (3-5-1 Marunouchi Chiyoda-ku Tokyo)

http://www.t-i-forum.co.jp/english/access.html

Access

JR Lines:

1 minute walk from Yurakucho Station

Subway Yurakucho Line:

1 minute walk from Yurakucho Station

4. Organizer

National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP),
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
(Research group in charge: 1st Theory-Oriented Research Group)

5. Program

  12 February 2004, Thursday  

9:15	Registration
10:00-10:10	Opening Remark
	Tsutomu Imamura, Director General, NISTEP
Session 1   Keynote Speech
10:10-10:50	Richard R. Nelson, Professor, Columbia University, USA
	The Market Economy and the Scientific Commons
10:50-11:10	Break
Session 2   University-Industry Collaborations
11:10-11:50	Scott Shane, Professor, Case Western Reserve University, USA
	University Spinoffs
11:50-12:30	Alan Hughes, Professor, University of Cambridge, UK
	University-Industry Relationships and Technological Performance: Some Reflections from the UK
12:30-14:00	Lunch
Session 3   Strategic Alliances
14:00-14:40	Luigi Orsenigo, Professor, Bocconi University, Italy
	Firms' Boundaries and Networks in Biotechnology
14:40-15:20	Ashish Arora, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
	Innovation Capabilities in Drug Development and Inter-Firm Collaboration
15:20-15:40	Break
Session 4   From an Industrial Perspective
15:40-16:10	Satomi Degami, Japanese Representative, Recombinant Capital, Inc.
	Strategic Alliances in Biotechnology
16:10-16:40	Shingo Kanou, CEO, Aphoenix, Inc.
	The Boundary of Technology Transfer and the Role of Startup Firms in Biotechnology Industries
Session 5   From the NISTEP Research
16:40-17:20	Hiroyuki Odagiri, Director of Research, NISTEP
	Professor, Hitotsubashi University
	Biotechnology R&D and the Boundaries of the Firm
17:20-17:30	Closing Remark
	Yukihiro Hirano, Deputy Director-General, NISTEP
17:30-19:00	Reception (the lobby of the Hall D7, Tokyo International Fourm)

6. Registration and contact details

Please send the items as follows to the secretariat of NISTEP International Conference'04 by Email or by Fax.

1. Name
2. Name in Japanese (if you can write Japanese)
3. Title (Mr., Ms., Dr., Prof.)
4. Organization
5. Organization in Japanese (if you can write Japanese)
6. Division
7. Title in Business
8. Office Address
9. TEL
10. FAX
11. Email Address

Application deadline:

9 February 2004

Capacity:

230 seats (Registration will be closed when 230 applicants have registered)

Applications will be handled on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and during the year change period.

A confirmation notice will be sent to you from the secretariat by Email or by FAX within 3 business days after receiving your application.

Contact:

Secretariat of NISTEP International Conference '04 (Simul International, Inc.)

• Email: nistep@simul.co.jp
• FAX : +81-3-3539-4533
• TEL :+81-3-3539-4502

Fee:

Free

Language:

Japanese and English (simultaneous interpretation available)

NISTEP International Conference '04 URL:

http://www.nistep.go.jp