Since the mid‐1990s, Japan has instituted a series of policy reforms in order to encourage greater university participation in commercial activity. Using data from a survey of scientists in engineering and biomedical fields in Japanese universities, we find that there has been a significant increase in commercial activity during this period, in particular, links to small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises. We also find that scientists are increasingly considering business potential when choosing projects. However, we find little evidence of the increasing commercialization leading to barriers to access to research tools. We also find that, despite the growing importance of formalized university–industry ties, university–industry linkages continue to be dominated by informal ties and gift‐exchange.

PAGES
39 – 54
DOI
All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Issues
Also in this issue:
-
Ryan Jenkins, David Černý and Tomáš Hříbek (eds) Autonomous Vehicle Ethics: The Trolley Problem and Beyond
-
As open as possible, but as closed as necessary: openness in innovation policy
-
Turning sportswashing against sportswashers: an unconventional perspective
-
State secrets and compromises with capitalism: Lev Theremin and regimes of intellectual property
-
In search of an author
Promoting University–Industry Linkages in Japan: Faculty Responses to a Changing Policy Environment
Original Articles