Inter-regional Comparative Studies on Industry, Academia and Government Cooperation that Encourage Medium and Small Enterprises' Initiative in Industrial Agglomeration Areas

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The purpose of this project is to make clear the realities of industry, academia and government cooperation (IAGC) that encourage small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) initiative in industrial agglomeration areas through inter-regional comparative studies. The summary of project is as follows.Industry Cluster Theory, a dominant and analytical tool to investigate IAGC in industrial agglomeration areas, can grasp the areas form viewpoint of the value chains, though it is difficult to apply the theory for what it is (status quo) to empirical studies because concepts of region (definition and spatial scale) in the theory are ambiguous. IAGC in Japan have shifted full swing since the after half of 1990s. The National Plan of Science and Technology (1996) was an epoch-making in the supporting policies. The compromise in policies for Technology and Liaison Office (TLO) Act between Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT, former Ministry of Education) and Ministry o … More f Economy, Trade and Industry (METI, former Ministry of Industry and Trade), have accelerated the improvement of policies. Though MEXT faces in its own many problems for deregulation policies of National University, MEXT has adhered to deregulation policies of METI in order to bring forward IAGC, especially the deregulation policy for patents and the improving competitive environment for research foundation. On the other hand, intensifying IAGC is to the good for SMEs that do not have many resources in intra-firm. In order to deal with the competition for innovation, many SMEs have straggled with IAGC for product innovations and process innovations. What work on IAGC, however, are only the upper class enterprises of SMEs. Many smaller firms cannot work on IAGC without the public supporting systems for them.SMEs in three our investigating fields (Yonezawa City in Ymagata Pref. Chino City in Nagano Pref. and Higashi-Osaka City) have consulted on IAGC with keen interest. As the national trends, however, the trials of IAGC have not spread to the smaller SMEs in the three fields. With the development of inter-firm networks in SMEs and the public supporting policies for agglomerating industries in the three cities, their SMEs have developed in their own IAGC. In particular, various activities for supporting IAGC in public agencies have had an important roll on generating different IAGCs by region. SMEs have made different responses to innovation through IAGC by types of business. SMEs with the trial production and developing new parts have worked on IAGC in a proactive manner, though SMEs with former subcontracting business have sit on their hands. Therefore, it is important for promoting IAGC to intensify activities for supporting IAGC in public agencies and change the type of buisiness of SMEs. Less