Knowledge management has become a well-known term, but science-based innovation remains relatively unexploited. Bridging the gap between knowledge management theory and studies of science of technology, such as in the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology firms, this book provides a timely insight into the innovation of the knowledge economy.

This volume deals with the dynamics of science-based innovation. The transfer of the latest scientific results to commercial innovation is of ever more importance today. This implies that competitiveness in modern technologies is no more the responsibility of the manufacturing industry alone, but involves a mutual dependence with the largely publicfinanced science institutions. The volume displays the state of the art in this interesting emerging research field between (economic) innovation research and the sociology of science. It is organized in three main parts. Advanced methodologies (patent analysis, bibliometrics, cluster analysis and cognitive cartography) are introduced in part I, whereas part II presents selected trends in the national structures of science and innovation. Here, two quite differing countries are highlighted: Japan and the former German Democratic Republic. Part III includes technology casestudies of science-based innovation in molecular beam epitaxy, laser medicine, polyimide plastics, fuel cells and factory automation. The eleven authors from various European countries and Japan arrive at conclusions and recommendations both for (public) science and innovation policy and industrial technology management.

This volume intends to give an insight into progress in the field of studies on modern science and technology. Researchers from Sweden, Japan and Germany began a "three country comparative study" in 1984. One of the primary aims of this study group was to better take account of the increasing importance of Japan in both analytical work and technology policy. To this end, researchers from the Research Policy Institute (RPI) at the University of Lund, the Graduate School of Policy Science at Saitama University in Urawa, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research in Karlsruhe met almost every year with policy makers from the three countries, in order to see how well the scientific debate is reflected in the interests of practitioneers in the related policies. The cooperation with the Swedish Board for Technical Development (STU)!, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Monbusho), and the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFT) brought about numerous "grey" papers, publications and two volumes of seminar proceedings. The first book2 deals with the problems of measuring technological change and summarizes tentative research plans from our first meetings. I concluded then, in November 1986, that "quantitative results are to be checked in a qualitative discursive process with the involved people. ( . . . ) The interaction of various indicators raises the pressure of argument and credibility. Case studies in dynamic fields of technology ideally supplement quantitative approaches.

This book offers a comprehensive approach to innovation management. Based on a solid scientifi c basis, it provides concepts to initiate, pursue, target and supervise innovation projects through specifi c action steps. Suitable methods are given for inventions by development, research, forecast and creativity. Each chapter offers examples and shortcut rules to facilitate the comprehension for the reader. Moreover, the author explains the historic origins of innovation and its role in economy, business, and technological progress, underlining the importance of innovation for the improvement of business or the disruption of established models. The science of innovation aims to give a solid theoretical background to students of appropriate academic courses and to anyone interested in supporting and developing innovation projects.

China is in the midst of transitioning from a manufacturing-based economy to one driven by innovation and knowledge. This up-to-date analysis evaluates China's state-led approach to science and technology, and its successes and failures. In recent decades, China has seen huge investments in high-tech science parks, a surge in home-grown top-ranked global companies, and a significant increase in scientific publications and patents. Helped by state policies and a flexible business culture, the country has been able to leapfrog its way to a more globally competitive position. However, the authors argue that this approach might not yield the same level of progress going forward if China does not address serious institutional, organizational, and cultural obstacles. While not impossible, this task may well prove to be more difficult for the Chinese Communist Party than the challenges that China has faced in the past.

This book summarises and discusses key findings from the learning sciences, shedding light on the cognitive and social processes that can be used to redesign classrooms to make them highly effective learning environments.

Why are some countries better than others at science and technology (S&T)? Written in an approachable style, The Politics of Innovation provides readers from all backgrounds and levels of expertise a comprehensive introduction to the debates over national S&T competitiveness. It synthesizes over fifty years of theory and research on national innovation rates, bringing together the current political and economic wisdom, and latest findings, about how nations become S&T leaders. Many experts mistakenly believe that domestic institutions and policies determine national innovation rates. However, after decades of research, there is still no agreement on precisely how this happens, exactly which institutions matter, and little aggregate evidence has been produced to support any particular explanation. Yet, despite these problems, a core faith in a relationship between domestic institutions and national innovation rates remains widely held and little challenged. The Politics of Innovation confronts head-on this contradiction between theory, evidence, and the popularity of the institutions-innovation hypothesis. It presents extensive evidence to show that domestic institutions and policies do not determine innovation rates. Instead, it argues that social networks are as important as institutions in determining national innovation rates. The Politics of Innovation also introduces a new theory of "creative insecurity" which explains how institutions, policies, and networks are all subservient to politics. It argues that, ultimately, each country's balance of domestic rivalries vs. external threats, and the ensuing political fights, are what drive S&T competitiveness. In making its case, The Politics of Innovation draws upon statistical analysis and comparative case studies of the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, Israel, Russia and a dozen countries across Western Europe.