Knowledge spillovers from public research institutions to the private sector: evidence from Japanese new technology-based firms

Abstract

Knowledge spillovers from public research institutions (PRIs) to the private sector are considered essential for innovation. Studies examining the impact of such spillovers have been confined to the West, and there is no comparable research from Japan. We address this gap by examining several topics: the evidence that knowledge spillovers from PRIs are localised in Japan; the extent to which such spillovers are contingent on geographical proximity; whether the type of tool used to measure spillovers - patents or scientific publications - has a bearing on the results; and the relationship between spillovers and innovation in Japanese New Technology-Based Firms (NTBFs).