Heterogeneous effects of spinoff foundations on the means of technology transfer: the role of past academic-industry collaborations

Focusing on the Italian population of academic entrepreneurs, we analyze the effect of establishing a spinoff firm on researchers' attitudes towards carrying out other activities in collaboration with firms, namely, co-publishing and co-patenting. We investigate the heterogeneity in this effect in terms of existing collaborations with firms in the pre-spinoff period. Using a counterfactual analysis on subgroups, we verify that academic entrepreneurs with previous publications with firms diminish their co-publishing and increase their co-patenting after founding a spinoff. Conversely, academic entrepreneurs who had no previous publications with firms increase their co-publishing and decrease their co-patenting. We maintain that such results are related to academics' learning processes connected with their previous technology transfer activities. The policy implications are related to technology transfer aims and contradict the idea that promoting spinoffs is an appropriate "one-size-fits-all" initiative

Breaking the distance: Dialogues of care in a time of limited geographies

In this commentary, we reflect on the limitations, somber difficulties, and possibilities of new geographies of care that have emerged as a result of our limited personal geographies during the time of COVID-19

siRNA screen identifies QPCT as a druggable target for Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a currently incurable neurodegenerative condition caused by an abnormally expanded polyglutamine tract in huntingtin (HTT). We identified new modifiers of mutant HTT toxicity by performing a large-scale 'druggable genome' siRNA screen in human cultured cells, followed by hit validation in Drosophila. We focused on glutaminyl cyclase (QPCT), which had one of the strongest effects on mutant HTT-induced toxicity and aggregation in the cell-based siRNA screen and also rescued these phenotypes in Drosophila. We found that QPCT inhibition induced the levels of the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin and reduced the aggregation of diverse proteins. We generated new QPCT inhibitors using in silico methods followed by in vitro screening, which rescued the HD-related phenotypes in cell, Drosophila and zebrafish HD models. Our data reveal a new HD druggable target affecting mutant HTT aggregation and provide proof of principle for a discovery pipeline from druggable genome screen to drug development

Human matrix metalloproteinases: An ubiquitarian class of enzymes involved in several pathological processes

Human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to the M10 family of the MA clan of endopeptidases. They are ubiquitarian enzymes, structurally characterized by an active site where a Zn(2+) atom, coordinated by three histidines, plays the catalytic role, assisted by a glutamic acid as a general base. Various MMPs display different domain composition, which is very important for macromolecular substrates recognition. Substrate specificity is very different among MMPs, being often associated to their cellular compartmentalization and/or cellular type where they are expressed. An extensive review of the different MMPs structural and functional features is integrated with their pathological role in several types of diseases, spanning from cancer to cardiovascular diseases and to neurodegeneration. It emerges a very complex and crucial role played by these enzymes in many physiological and pathological processes

China and Europe networks in health. An empirical analysis on co-publications

China formally opened its economy in 1979, with the launch of the open door policy. The heart of this process has been knowledge acquisition, strongly pushed by the government mainly through incentives to collaborations with foreign firms and institutions. However, in more recent years, problems of long-term sustainability have started to be raised, especially on the necessity to couple the economic growth with an increase in the well-being of the population. Health is a pivotal sector in terms of impact on life quality of the population, as testified by the plethora of studies aimed at measuring the health-related quality of life. For this reason, to deepen the knowledge of the factors and the dynamics regulating enhancements in this field has become particularly relevant. Progress in health directly derives from progress made in scientific research, and publications are a widely recognised tool for the divulgation of knowledge in this field. In this framework, this paper analyses the evolution of international cooperation of Chinese institutions in health-related scientific fields, measured in terms of co-publications. Changes in Chinas position in the international scientific literature will be traced, focusing then on the current structure of co-authorships with the first five EU countries in terms of GDP and highlighting differences in the weight, the structure and the degree of complexity of the relation networks

L'industria dell'auto in Cina e nei paesi emergenti dell'Asia orientale

Il presente lavoro di tesi punta ad analizzare il settore automotive nel contesto dei paesi emergenti dell'Asia orientale: gli ASEAN–5 (Indonesia, Filippine, Malesia, Tailandia e Vietnam) e la Cina. Le motivazioni del lavoro derivano dall'importanza macroeconomica che il settore riveste nel contesto mondiale, e dell'investimento specifico che diversi paesi in via di sviluppo hanno fatto per la strutturazione di questa industria. In questo contesto, la regione analizzata rappresenta probabilmente la più interessante tra quelle in via di sviluppo. In primo luogo, perché essa costituisce la principale fonte di offerta e di domanda nel settore. Inoltre, perché essa costituisce un tipico esempio di regionalizzazione della produzione intorno ad alcuni centri produttivi di rilievo globale. Infine, perché al suo interno si sono date diverse importanti esperienze di politiche selettive per il settore (tra cui Cina e Tailandia) che però hanno dato luogo ad esiti differenti. Il lavoro ruota intorno a tre domande di ricerca. La prima riguarda la configurazione del settore automotive nella regione e se si possa parlare, più che di livello–paese o in ottica comparata, di una sua dimensione regionale. La seconda si interroga sulle determinanti delle performance del settore, al fine di capire se vi siano delle differenze intra–regionali. La terza vuole rintracciare se, come per le dinamiche economiche in generale, anche per quanto riguarda questa industria la Cina costituisca un caso a sé ed un potenziale modello di sviluppo alternativo per l'Asia orientale. Le domande di ricerca vengono trattate trasversalmente nei tre capitoli, i quali analizzano il settore sul piano macro, meso e micro. Per quanto riguarda la configurazione del settore nella regione, emerge da un lato che queste economie si trovano ad oggi in uno spazio produttivo integrato e, d'altro canto, che i diversi paesi rivestono un ruolo molto differenziato nella regione e su base mondiale, disegnando il quadro di un'area complessivamente forte, ma internamente caratterizzata dalla presenza di alcuni poli di attrazione e di altre economie al margine. Rispetto al secondo quesito di ricerca, si evidenzia chiaramente che la forma che l'industria dell'auto ha assunto oggi in tutti i paesi analizzati sia stata profondamente influenzata dal ruolo giocato dagli attori transnazionali dominanti nel settore. Tuttavia, il successo o meno delle economie e la possibilità per le loro imprese di ottenere buoni risultati sembra sia dovuto principalmente alla qualità dei rapporti che il contesto locale e le politiche sono in grado di sviluppare con tali attori, che su base micro si traduce in migliori performance per le imprese locali che gestiscono relazioni dirette di importazione ed esportazione. Nelle parti che ineriscono alla specificità dell'esperienza cinese, infine, rileva come, al di là dell'immenso mercato che essa rappresenta, ruolo fondamentale nel successo della Cina nel settore è stato rivestito dalle politiche selettive implementate dai governi a partire dagli anni Ottanta. Questi hanno infatti investito cospicuamente sull'automotive come volano di sviluppo, puntando in particolare su un numero limitato di campioni nazionali di proprietà pubblica e su un'interazione con gli attori esteri accuratamente pilotata e deliberatamente votata al trasferimento tecnologico e all'accumulo di risorse tecnologiche. A livello micro, questo si traduce in una caratterizzazione delle imprese più produttive che è diversa rispetto a quella della regione nel suo complesso, e che punta maggiormente sui vantaggi derivanti da forme di importazione diretta.This work analyses the automotive sector in the region of Southeast Asian emerging economies (namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) and China. The motivations of the work stem both from the macroeconomic relevance of the industry at the global level and from the specific attention that many governments of developing countries devoted to the growth of this sector. In this context, the analysed region is probably the most interesting among developing ones. First, because it is nowadays the most important source of supply and demand. Second, because it is one of the most vivid examples of regionalisation of production around some main globally relevant poles. Finally, because in this area different experiences of selective policies for the sector (among which China's and Thailand's) were born, although with mixed results. The thesis is built around three research questions. The first is about the configuration of the sector in the region, and whether the sector itself has a regional dimension or not. The second tries to identify the determinants of the performance of the sector, in order to understand if inter–regional differences exist. The third aims at identifying whether, as for the general economic performances, also with respect to the automotive industry China represents a special case, and a potential alternative development model for the surrounding countries. The three research questions are analysed across the three chapters of the work, which analyse the sector from both a macro, meso and micro perspective. Concerning the sector's configuration in the region – first research question –, on the one hand these economies result as integrated in the same production network, while on the other hand they take on a very different role on a regional and global basis. The resulting framework is that of an overall strong area, that is internally divided between some main regional poles on one side and some marginal economies on the other. Regarding the second question, it is very clear that transnational globally dominant actors in the sector have had a huge role in shaping the automotive industry in each of the countries. However, the success of any of these economies and of their firms derives mainly by the quality of the relations that the local context and policies are able to build with the foreign actors. On the micro level, this translates in better performances for those local firms that hold direct import and export relations. Finally, the parts of the thesis related to the Chinese specificity highlights how, apart from the huge market that China represents, the selective policies implemented by governments since the 80's have played a fundamental role in the country's success in the sector. In fact, Chinese governments have focused greatly on automotive industry as a flywheel for economic development, promoting in particular some SOEs as national champions and the interaction with foreign actors for technology transfer and technology accumulation. On the micro level, differently from the regional case, this translates into better performances for firms that are involved in direct imports

Le contraddizioni delle politiche industriali selettive. Il caso dell’automotive in Tailandia

We critically analyse the case of selective industrial policies for automotive industry in Thailand. Founding on previous literature and official government documents, we describe the implementing policies, dividing them in four phases, according to the main trend they followed. We suggest which results the policies have or have not reached by analysing the current state of the sector. Our main point is that selective policies implemented in the country were successful in helping the development of the sector as a whole, contributing to the role of Thailand as main actor in the international market. However, such policies were not able to solve some of the main issues of automotive sector in the country related to local development, such as the technology dependence on foreign (mainly Japanese) firms and the weakness of local suppliers

La “nuova industria green”: un primo passo verso una definizione condivisa e implicazioni di policy

L’imperativo dello sviluppo sostenibile si sta manifestando con una crescente enfasi sullo sviluppo della cosiddetta industria verde. Si tratta di un’opportunità per i sistemi produttivi di diventare più competitivi e contribuire a un futuro più sostenibile. Il tema sconta però ancora una eterogeneità interna in termini definitori (in particolare tra approcci output- e processbased, ma non solo), che, da un lato, rischiano di generare comportamenti degli agenti economici potenzialmente in contraddizione tra loro e rispetto alle finalità di transizione ecologica e, dall’altro limitano la capacità di formulazione, applicazione e valutazione di possibili interventi di policy da parte degli attori istituzionali. A tal fine, il policy brief intende proporre una tassonomia delle tipologie di industria green, evidenziandone dimensioni e caratteristiche più rilevanti. Tale schematizzazione risulta essenziale in termini di implicazioni per le politiche, poiché può rivelarsi essenziale ai fini di identificare gli obiettivi specifici che ciascun intervento può raggiungere e quali possibili esternalità (positive e negative) può produrre su altre dimensioni della transizione verd

Industrial Development and manufacturing in Chinese territories: the contribution of special economic enclaves policies

This paper aims to analyse the role of Special Economic Zones in the development of industry in China, focusing on Guangdong counties. Special Economic Zones have often been used by governments with the goal of stimulating industrialization. The international literature has analysed these special zones from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective and has yet to come to a shared view on their desirability. In particular, there is a debate in literature that discusses if the establishment of Special Economic Zones is effective in producing spillover effects across any territories, or whether these only take place if the receiving area has already a high level of economic performance. After an extensive description of the types and aims of the special zones existing in China, we turn our attention to test, through a quantile regression methodology, if the role of special zones is changing depending upon the level of industrialization already existing in the counties. In this sense, our work is an empirical attempt to shed some light on the possible uneven distribution of the gains coming from the establishment of development zones