1 / 19

S&T and Japan

S&T and Japan. Edward Lincoln For presentation at University of Illinois April 3, 2008. Background. Japan as a successful absorber of technology from the world, 1870s-1970s. Emphasis on math and engineering in education rather than science Emphasis on scouring the world for technology

acathcart
Download Presentation

S&T and Japan

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. S&T and Japan Edward Lincoln For presentation at University of Illinois April 3, 2008

  2. Background • Japan as a successful absorber of technology from the world, 1870s-1970s. • Emphasis on math and engineering in education rather than science • Emphasis on scouring the world for technology • Assisted by government trade policy • Pressure to spread technology at home rather than protect (licensing policy and joint R&D projects).

  3. Success implies a new environment 1980s to the present • “catch up” over • Implies a need to generate more technology within the corporation • Greater interest in protecting technology • A need to refocus education toward science to underpin development of new commercial technology So what has been happening?

  4. Preview: • Japan certainly a major player in global technology • But not as dominant as one might think • Concerns over “productivity” of spending on R&D • Concerns about how to alter the education system • Concerns about how to enhance university-business partnerships

  5. R&D spending has been rising:

  6. Japan has more technology to export:

  7. Or, tech trade more narrowly (apparently):

  8. But still lags in basic research expenditures:

  9. And no change in low emphasis on science education:

  10. A strong player in patenting tech in US, but little relative change in 20 years:

  11. No change past decade in production of S&E articles:

  12. Essence of the Japan puzzle: more R&D but less impact:

  13. And once dominant global share in electronics slipping:

  14. Why? • Difficult to reform education toward “creativity.” • Rigid university systems with little competition for research money or peer review of research results. • Little industry-university cooperation • Little commercialization of university research • Government sponsored joint R&D centers stifle alternative approaches • Language barriers inhibiting more extensive international collaboration

  15. Responses: • National university reform 2003 (more competition, peer review, independence). Is it working? • More Japanese educated abroad? Numbers falling past 10 years (currently 35,000) • More scholars spending time in U.S.? Stagnant or falling numbers since 2000. • Efforts to enhance spin-off of university research into new businesses

  16. Still little corporate financing of university research:

  17. Contrast: • Total University research spending: • Japan, 2004: ¥3.2 trillion = $30 billion • U.S., 2005: $49 billion • Corporate financing role: • Japan: 2.7 percent • U.S. 5.0 percent

  18. University-business connections: • 1998 law establishes technology licensing offices for universities (enabling universities to own technology created by government funds. • 2001 government plan to push “technology parks” and a goal for 100 spin-off companies from universities by 2005 (goal reached) • Kyoto area exhibits some success in university spin-offs (e.g. in biotechnology)

  19. Conclusion • Japan doing OK but not great. Spending on R&D up but productivity falling. • Model still based mainly on efforts within large corporations rather than on vibrant universities and start-up businesses • Venture capital market remains poorly developed • Labor markets still less flexible than in U.S. • Does Japan really need more emphasis on basic science? Maybe not.

More Related