The Dynamics of Commercialization of Scientific Knowledge in Biotechnology and Nanotechnology

ABSTRACT

We carry out an in-depth study of the growth, diffusion and reinforcement of knowledge in this article. We look for drivers to diffuse knowledge as to collaboration (between different research teams and between university and industry), regulations (on intellectual property rights, governmental), and broad lines of scientific research according to the financing methods used. The studies referred to in this article are linked to the creation and search for better commercialization conditions for the sciences and technologies associated with biosciences and nanosciences. Different paths of knowledge may be identified, according to the case. Certain kinds of drivers may be used more often than others, determined by the type of knowledge being dealt with. For instance, networking and collaboration between different research teams is one of the main activities necessary to innovate and to commercialize the products resulting from knowledge and research in those clusters. In other situations, it may be more suitable to reinforce knowledge diffusion through certain regulations. A case in point is the significance of the Bayh–Dole Act in the US, used to improve relationships between university and industry. Therefore, the aim of this article is to evaluate the type of drivers and the intensity required in each case. In general, in more advanced clusters and territories, drivers are more biased to creating conditions to commercialize science, and to a lesser extent, to government intervention to foster development. The two case studies we have chosen, i.e. the Barcelona biomedical cluster and the biosciences cluster in the Basque Country, call for drivers that are the same in certain regards but vary greatly in intensity. The simultaneous presence of all of these drivers works in an interrelated manner to activate the complex process of commercialization of science.

Notes

1. “Small Times magazine is the most respected source of business information about micro and nanotechnology. Small Times determines its rankings based on formulas that use its proprietary research as well as state and federal data” (Nanotechwire.com, 2005).

2. “The research category looks at the amount of research each state conducts in its university, industrial and national laboratories. This category is considered fundamental for a knowledge-based economy because it is where ideas are created and refined. Among other things, the category measures the amount of funding each state gets in a year, the number of micro and nanotech centers it has and the number and amounts of micro- and nanotech-specific grants it receives from the National Science Foundation. The industry category counts the number of micro and nanotech companies each state holds using Small Times' proprietary database. Venture capital, also tracked through the proprietary database, looks at the number and amounts of VC [venture capital] deals by micro and nanotech companies. Innovation covers micro- and nanotech-specific patenting and federally funded awards to small businesses. Workforce looks at how well each state can provide the skilled labor needed for high tech, and the costs category examines everything from energy prices to housing and commuting times” (Stuart, 2005).

3. Michael Polanyi (1962) advocated a Republic of Science, which was to be financed with public funds, but in which the scientific community defined its priorities.

4. “Collaborative research will constitute the bulk and the core of EU research funding in FP7. The objective is to establish, in the major fields of advancement of knowledge, excellent research projects and networks able to attract researchers and investments from Europe and the entire world. This is to be achieved by supporting collaborative research through a range of funding schemes: Collaborative projects, Networks of Excellence, Coordination/support actions, etc.” (CORDIS, 2006).