Doctoral Dissertation Research in Science of Science and Innovation Policy: From the Lab to the Shelf-Changes in the Commercialization of Scientific Discoveries in the US and Japan

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The project examines how policies regarding commercialization of scientific knowledge shape university scientists' perceptions and practices of university-industry collaboration, focusing on comparing the US and Japanese experiences. It uses in-depth interview methods to delineate the interrelationship between culture, organizational networks, policy arrangements and scientific careers.Intellectual Merit This research contributes to the literature on the sociology of science, university-firm collaboration, and science and technology policy in the United States and Japan. Studies of biotechnology usually use either a network level or a policy level analysis. Although these are important, research has not focused on the ways in which these factors, alongside others, come together to shape individual choices regarding commercialization. The project compares two socio-culturally different sites, and focuses on the work-pragmatics and careers of influential university scientists and their collaborations with industry. It sheds new light on the processes through which networks, culture, institutional arrangements and policy produce the striking and unexpected differences in commercialization practices between the US and Japan. Broader Impact The study offers policy-makers a unique perspective into the ground-level management of university-firm collaborations in different cultural and institutional contexts. It provides new insights into the potential impacts of policy change on scientists who are increasingly important elements of the innovation system.