The Dynamics Of Californias Biotechnology Industry

Author : Sang-Tae Kim
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781124420349
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (23 download)

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Download or read book An Emergence of a Biotechnology Cluster written by Sang-Tae Kim and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biotechnology industry in San Diego started to emerge in the 1980s, and by the 2000s, it became one of the most dynamic biotechnology hubs in the country. It consists of hundreds of public and private companies; a set of renowned research institutions, including the University of California, San Diego; and a group of specialized practitioners. San Diego is also recognized for a number of successful partnership programs and a culture of collaboration. Pertaining to the San Diego biotechnology community, I raise the following questions: which factors stimulate entrepreneurship; how have these factors been constructed; and what enable or constrain technology transfer from academia to industries. In analyzing data and constructing theoretical concepts, I was guided by 'grounded theory' and interpretivist approaches. Lacking any industrial tradition and infrastructure, the San Diego region employed talent, practices and resources from outside. By working at small biotechnology companies, managers and employees started to develop expertise on technologies and management as well as to create relationships with each other. Communities, where groups of people interact to solve problems and issues together, have been the locus of learning and becoming. Through their daily practices and involvement in communities, many individuals have become skillful entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial scientists. It is the daily social interactions and interpretations, which have fueled entrepreneurship and technology transfer of this biotechnology community. Biotechnology companies, research institutions and specialized service providers have agglomerated around the University of California, San Diego, thus individuals and organizations had frequent face-to-face interactions across communities as well as in communities. To tackle issues in common, the community embarked on a series of collective actions, which contributed to building shared understanding and memories. These experiences and engagements under the leadership of trade associations and research institutions have been critical to creating a culture of collaboration. A culture of collaboration has been the key to expanding and energizing this network of entrepreneurs. In sum, it is learning and experiencing in communities, which have produced the talent and resources for entrepreneurship, and it is interactions and engagements at the entire community level that have given San Diego a competitive edge.