Japan STA Program: Building Regional Innovation Systems: A Comparative Study of Kanagawa and Osaka, Japan

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Collins 9722544 This award supports a 12 month Science and Technology Agency of Japan (STA) Postdoctoral Fellowship for Dr. Steven W. Collins at the Kanagawa Industrial Technology Research Institute, Ebina, Japan. Dr. Collins will work with Dr. Hikoji Wakoh, Chief Scientist, on a research project entitled "Building Regional Innovation Systems: A Comparative Study of Kanagawa and Osaka, Japan." The proposed research will study the role of regional science and technology transfer policies in promoting local economic development in two Japanese prefectures, Kanagawa and Osaka. Recently in Japan, a major goal of science and technology policy has been to stimulate regional economies by promoting technological innovation that uses resources found in abundance locally. Such policies are based on a growing body of research showing that a richly endowed science and technology infrastructure, coupled with appropriate mechanisms for diffusing and transferring new knowledge, contributes to an entrepreneurial business environment. Notable examples are California's Silicon Valley and North Carolina's Research Triangle, which many local governments in Japan wish to emulate. This study will examine two such regions in Japan, comparing activities and policies of prefectural governments and research institutes aimed at leveraging regional and national resources to promote sustainable development. The results will shed light on the geography of technological innovation, as well as provide insight into differences in regional policies across Japan. Finally, the project will contribute to the Kanagawa Prefectural government's goal of understanding technological innovation in the region and situating it in the broader context of both regional and local science and technology policy across the nation. ***