Despite the importance of innovation activities in business start-ups, few studies have comprehensively compared these undertakings to equivalent ones in established firms. Therefore, we compare the determinants of R&D intensity, innovation, and firm performance in start-ups and established firms with a three-stage model, using comparable datasets in Japan. Estimation results suggest that 1) the effects of public financial support on R&D intensity are positive but smaller for start-ups; 2) the effects of research cooperation with business partners and universities on innovation are positive and larger for start-up; and 3) the effects of product and process innovation on labor productivity (level and growth) are positive both for start-ups and established firms.

• R&D, Innovation, and Business Performance of Japanese Start-ups: A Comparison with Established Firms

NISTEP has been conducting the study on sustainable saving electricity since 2011. Citizens in the Tokyo metropolitan area were forced to experience major electricity saving since the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident causes by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The government appealed not only to industries but also to the general households and the embassies in Tokyo. Consequently, a major scale blackout did not occur that the public was worried about. However, for ongoing saving electricity measures, Japanese industries specifically show resistance toward the lifestyle related measures such as improving electric device operation and introducing working hour shift. It is also difficult to continue the measures by being patient. Therefore, we assessed the actual situation of saving electricity; discussed on sustainable saving electricity with the experts; and figured out what the sustainable saving electricity technologies and systems are through the Delphi survey and Scenario examination. Based on the outcomes, this report studied on the future perspective of sustainable saving electricity.

• Study on Sustainable Saving Electricity – Future Perspective Based on the Delphi Survey and Scenarios –

The National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) has been conducting surveys about the regional contribution of universities and relationship between universities and local companies.

NISTEP is holding an international symposium inviting renowned scholars of regional contribution of universities from home and abroad. This symposium will include presentations on the latest examples from home and abroad, such as:

• How foreign and Japanese universities recognize their regional contribution and their engagement
• Benchmarking on regional contribution of universities

We hope that these presentations are to help efforts and deepening understanding of the regional contribution of universities. We look forward to your active participation in the symposium.

• Date: Friday, November 15, 2013 [Doors Open 13:30 / Symposium 14:00-17:30]
• Venue: Room A Iino Hall and Conference Center. (4th floor of Iino building, 2-1-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) MAP
• Language: Japanese and English (Simultaneous Translation)
• Capacity: 100 seats

Please see the symposium program in the following PDF.

• International Symposium on the Regional Contribution of universities

Application

• Closing date for applicate: 17:00 November 11, 2013 [FCFS]
  We may stop accepting applications when we have a hundred participants.
• Attendance Registration: Please use either one of the following two methods to apply

(1) Connect the following web site, and then fill in the blanks.
https://www.libertas.co.jp/daigaku-sympo/entry_en.html

(2) Fill in application form on reserve side of the Symposium Flyer, and then send it by FAX to Libertas Consulting (FAX: 03-3511-2162)

We may stop accepting applications when we have a hundred participants.

Inquiry regarding the Symposium

• Inquiry regarding the Symposium:
  Office for International Symposium on the Regional Contribution of Universities
  Kuniko Sobajima (Agency: Libertas Consulting Co., Ltd.)
  E-Mail: dsympo@libertas.co.jp

※ NISTEP entrusts the operation of this symposium to Libertas Consulting Co., Ltd.

National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) has annually conducted the
Survey on Research Activities of Private Corporations in Japan since FY1968. The FY2012 survey mainly
focuses on the following five topics; (i) the trend of R&D expenses and staffs, (ii) patenting activities
(including the management of trade secret), (iii) innovation process (from the viewpoint of the introduction
of new products or services), (iv) cooperation with other organizations, and (v) influence of the Great East
Japan Earthquake. The 1,434 corporations, out of 3,287objects, responded to the survey.
As a result, the input and output of R&D activities within the corporation showed a downward
trend, and both R&D expenses to the outside and patent applications showed an upward trend. In the core
product and the service field, about 42% corporations achieved radical new products and services, and
about 22% corporations achieved radical new processes. Moreover, about 54% corporations did not employ
R&D staff in FY2011. As for the rate of cooperation with the external other organizations, cooperation
with the university is highest with about 64%. About the influence given to R&D activity of the Great East
Japan Earthquake, the results showed that R&D activities have not been changed in the about 77%
corporations.

• Survey on Research Activities of Private Corporations (2012)

In recent years the number of academic papers being published on research and development has
been increasing more slowly in Japan than in other leading nations. One of the reasons for this
may be the low ratio of internationally-collaborated articles in Japan, which tend to have more
citations than those written by domestic groups or individuals. However, up until now two major
themes have still not been investigated: factors related to international co-authorship and the
international mobility of researchers, and the reasons behind the higher citation rates of
internationally-collaborated articles. Therefore, this study examines those two themes by
empirical analysis using two types of datasets created through use of the Web of Knowledge
provided by Thomson Reuters. One of the results gained from analysis on papers published in the
past 20 years in Nature and Science using a count data regression model indicated several factors
that have a positive relationship with the production of academic papers: investment on R&D and
the number of researchers, the number of international students, and European Union membership.
The mobility of international researchers had a positive relationship with the number of
researchers at the transfer locations. Analysis using a database of papers in the field of chemistry
showed positive correlations between research performance (number of papers and their times
cited) and the degree of international collaboration. These tendencies appear to be common in
Japan, as well as in the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.

• Empirical analysis on factors associated with international scientific collaboration

Building a mechanism of science and technology innovation activities in a region is required, which is to make use of the strengths and characteristics of regions and can be deployed autonomously. Therefore, universities are expected to work with such local companies as a member of the local community, and to contribute to the construction of a regional innovation system. Then, in order to clarify the achievements and issues of the industry academic collaboration in region, the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy(NISTEP) conducted research on industry-academia collaboration to target the manufacturing industry in Kagoshima Prefecture as a case study in fiscal year 2011 (Sotohebo-Nakatake 2012). In 2012 we conducted a questionnaire 2 survey by mail to target the 2900manufacturing companies to put headquarters, factories, and offices in Chukyo area which includes Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture and Mie Prefecture, and the survey was obtained valid responses of 694companies (23.9% response rate).Chukyo area is the leading industry agglomerations of manufacturing industry of Japan, in which companies has positively conducted development of new products and technologies. And these companies are willing to do industry-academia collaboration mainly in Aichi Prefecture. There are not only varieties of public universities but also a lot of private universities in Chukyo area, thus local resources are also plentiful. In order to activate more industry-academia collaboration in the future, the universities and national technology collages should establish their own specialties. Moreover, instead of restricted their industry-academia collaboration activities within the prefectural area, it should be necessary to mutually lending resources each other in Chukyo area.

• Survey on the Collaboration between Local Companies and National University in Chukyo Area (Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture and Mie Prefecture)

In order to provide evidence for science, technology and innovation policy, this study aims to make a
method for quantitative analysis of economic and social impacts caused by government investment in
science and technology. This paper discusses a method to estimate economic and environmental impacts of
new industries in the future created by science and technology innovation. We have taken up renewable
energy that is expected as a new growing industry in the future, then estimated direct and indirect effects of
output, employment, energy consumption and CO2 emission in terms of the construction of renewable
energy power plants by input-output analysis. The estimated results show that the indirect effect of
employment is smaller than the direct effect. Meanwhile, the indirect effects of energy consumption and
CO2 emission are larger than the direct effects. Analysis on every industrial sector identified influential
sectors for direct and indirect effects, which suggest the research and development for reducing costs,
energy consumption and CO2 emission in power plant construction. Furthermore, comprehensive analysis
on economic and environmental impacts suggests ways of research and development for power plant
construction to reduce the costs, energy consumption and CO2 emission with attention of domestic
employment.

• Economic and Environmental Impact Analysis for Construction of Renewable Energy Power Plants by Extended Input-Output Table