Margarida Fontes

DISTANT NETWORKING: THE KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION STRATEGIES OF "OUT-CLUSTER" BIOTECHNOLOGY FIRMS

This paper addresses the conditions that enable new biotechnology firms (NBF) operating outside major biotechnology clusters, to obtain the resources and competences necessary to emerge and grow. Drawing on in-depth research on the structure, rationale and evolution of scientific and technological relationships of a group of Portuguese NBFs, the paper discusses the knowledge sourcing strategies devised by these firms and the type of factors that favour their adoption. NBFs are found to draw creatively from a diverse combination of local and distant technological relationships and to profit from a number of mechanisms that can reduce the impact of geographical distance on access to partners and on the transmission of knowledge. This behaviour is favoured by factors associated with the strength of the local science base in relevant fields and to the level of international mobility and exposure achieved by local scientists.

The impact of long term scientific mobility on the creation of persistent knowledge networks

Abstract This paper investigates the impact of long-term international scientific mobility – associated with advanced training or research positions – on knowledge network formation and network persistence In particular, it investigates whether and in which conditions relationships established during extended periods of co-location in one organisation play a relevant role in the subsequent knowledge exchange activities of the mobile scientists. Empirical research on the case of Portuguese scientists in three different fields provides evidence on the relevance and persistence of the networks established in those conditions and identifies some factors that increase the likelihood of these effects taking place.

Networks Mobilized to Access Key Resources at Early Stages of Biotech Firms: A Comparative Analysis in Two Moderately Innovative Countries

Abstract This paper investigates the networking behaviour of biotechnology start-ups in peripheral locations. The aim is to understand whether the conditions found in this type of environment introduce some specificities in the networking process, namely in network building and early mobilization to access key resources. The paper compares biotechnology start-ups in Portugal and in Southern Italy, focusing on relationships with research organizations and on the relevance assumed by international connections, and investigating the role played by entrepreneurs’ personal networks. The research identified some common features that diverge from the typical biotechnology start-up behaviour and can be regarded as firms’ adaptive responses to the conditions faced. Notwithstanding the frequent presence of close connections with local research organizations—that often play functions that go much beyond that of a knowledge source—the local environment is a lesser determinant for a substantial proportion of firms than would be expected in start-ups. A distinctive feature of these firms is an extensive reliance on foreign sources, for different purposes and from the very early stages. Entrepreneurs’ personal networks are found to be instrumental, both to identify and obtain knowledge in the vicinity and to support the establishment of more complex distant relationships.

Seizing Opportunities for Markets of Discovery: The Reconfigurations of Value Chains in Pharmaceutical Industry in the Global South:

This article investigates whether Asian countries are becoming more active at the discovery stage, a higher stage of the drug development value chain. We conduct the first quantitative study to investigate these countries positioning in drug discovery activities. For this purpose, we draw on a database containing historical information on more than 61,000 drugs, for the period 1994–2015, and extract and analyse data on the drug discovery events in which a selected group of Asian countries were involved. The results show that these countries are increasingly involved in activities of discovery and that, in some of them, these activities are predominantly conducted on drugs owned by local organisations. Along with this process, markets for discovery are being created, both through sub-contracting and through partnerships among local organisations (for their own drugs) and between local and non-local ones. Second, drawing on the strategies and organisational set-ups adopted in each country, we distinguish a number of profiles regarding the ways competences for markets for discovery are being built. Third, we identify the existence of a strong regional centre of competences, acting as a local–global articulation locus for markets of discovery. These results provide new insights into the ways Asian countries are moving up the drug development value chain and contribute to our understanding of the learning processes underway in different contexts and the variety of configurations resulting from these processes, supporting a discussion on the potential role of policies to further expand markets for discovery.

Types of proximity in knowledge access by science-based start-ups

This paper addresses the strategies adopted by science-based start-ups to gain access to knowledge resources at different spatial levels. The goal of the paper is to investigate the presence and relative importance of ties endowed with different types of proximity in firms’ knowledge networks, as well as the role played by non-geographical proximity in gaining access to knowledge sources, both located nearby and at a distance. For this purpose we develop an analytical framework that permits to distinguish between two dimensions of proximity: geographical, associated with the spatial location of the actor; relational, associated with the origin of the tie – leading to different modes of proximity that are further linked with modes of knowledge access (formal or informal). We also develop a methodology to reconstruct the knowledge networks, permitting to identify origin, location and nature of the ties and to position them along modes of proximity. The results show that the incidence and mix of these modes of proximity vary in firms’ individual networks, being possible to identify different patterns of knowledge access. But they also uncover the overall relevance of “relational proximity”, whether or not coexisting with geographical proximity and often compensating for its absence. The paper contributes to our understanding of knowledge access strategies of science-based start-ups and uncovers the spatial spanning role played by the entrepreneurs’ personal networks.