Science-Technology-Industry Network - The Competitiveness of Swiss Biotechnology - A Case Study of Innovation

This study proposes to analyze in an exploratory way the state of innovation and production systems in Swiss biotechnology and especially its innovative capacity and related factors. As biotechnology as such cannot be considered as an industrial sector but rather as a set of technologies developed in the field of life sciences, the direct link with science makes innovative capacity a major determinant of competitiveness. While large multinationals, such as biopharmaceuticals, may not need local technology suppliers, the presence of a local industry of research-based firms and technology suppliers is critical, because the industry is, by itself, a major source of growth and social progress. By observing how resreach and devlopment (R&D) activities are organized in the field of biotechnology, we try to identify the relations existing between universities and the biotechnology industry, but also the relations between the biotechnology firms among themselves.