Formation and geography of science-industry collaborations: the case of the University of Poitiers

This paper tries to elicit elements which explain the geography of science-industry collaborations by focusing on their construction process which is rarely studied regarding the existing literature. Constraints linked to the search of resources, on the one hand, and constraints linked to the logics of contact, on the other, weigh on actors when choosing their partner and could influence the geography of collaborations. An empirical study on collaborations established between Poitiers University's laboratories and firms confirms this hypothesis. Cognitive constraints lead to the spatial dissemination of collaborations. An econometric model shed light on the impact of logics of contact and shows that whereas most of these logics enable the construction of local and non local partnerships, non professional ties favor significantly local ones.Collaborations; geography; social networks; institutions; resources

A New method for the capture of surface proteins in <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> parasitized erythrocyte

Introduction: We propose a new method for the selective labeling, isolation and electrophoretic analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum protein exposed on the erythrocyte cell surface. Historically, membrane surface proteins have been isolated using a surface biotinylation followed by capture of biotin-conjugated protein via an avidin/streptavidin-coated solid support. The major drawback of the standard methods has been the labeling of internal proteins due to fast internalization of biotin. Methodology: To solve this problem, we used a biotin label that does not permeate through the membrane. As a further precaution to avoid the purification of non surface exposed proteins, we directly challenged whole labeled cells with avidin coated beads and then solubilized them using non ionic detergents. Results: A marked enrichment of most of the RBC membrane proteins known to face the external surface of the membrane validated the specificity of the method; furthermore, only small amounts of haemoglobin and cytoskeletal proteins were detected. A wide range of P. falciparum proteins were additionally described to be exposed on the erythrocyte surface. Some of them have been previously observed and used as vaccine candidates while a number of newly described antigens have been presently identified. Those antigens require further characterization and validation with additional methods. Conclusion: Surface proteins preparations were very reproducible and identification of proteins by mass spectrometry has been demonstrated to be feasible and effective.</br

Partners connection process and geography of innovation: new insights from a comparative inter-organizational partnerships analysis

This paper attempts to give new explanations of the spatial patterns of collaborations focusing on the partners' connection process. Taking into account actors are embedded in an historical and socio-economical space, we first consider organizations can construct a new collaboration or renew an old one when they decide to build a research project with a partner. Then, going back to the moment when they initially connect with their partners through the analysis of the genesis of collaborations, we assume that they can turn to their interpersonal ties or to coordination resources. This process of connection may influence the spatial dimensions of collaborations regarding notably the literature linking the use of social ties and the spatial proximity effects observed in innovation activities. We test empirically these theoretical propositions through the collection of individual data about more than 200 histories of inter-company (IC) and science-industry (SI) partnerships. The qualitative and quantitative treatments of these data reveal the way partners connect each other and the spatial patterns of collaborations are significantly dependant to the nature of the partnerships. A strong regularity is nevertheless highlighted: for both partnerships (IC and SI ones), actors renewed prior collaborations in 57% of the total of studied partnerships.Collaborations, Embeddedness, Spatial patterns, Social ties, Coordination

La géographie des collaborations pour l'innovation : le rôle des contraintes amont

La littérature économique qui traite de la géographie de l'innovation se focalise généralement sur les contraintes qui pèsent sur les acteurs au moment du processus de collaboration, en insistant notamment sur la dimension tacite des connaissances, qui imposerait des rapports de face à face. L'objectif de cet article est de montrer que d'autres contraintes, en amont du processus de collaboration, structurent peut-être plus fortement encore la géographie observée : les contraintes de ressources, d'une part, et les contraintes de mises en relation, d'autre part. Le schéma théorique proposé s'appuie sur les développements récents de l'économie de proximité. Certaines des propositions avancées sont testées empiriquement via un modèle gravitaire, puis par l'intermédiaire de la reconstruction d'une centaine d'histoires de collaborations.Proximité; collaborations; mise en relation; effets-taille;ressources

La dimension spatiale des collaborations pour l'innovation: une analyse sur données Cifre (1981-2006)

L'objectif de cet article est de se prononcer sur l'évolution de la dimension spatiale des collaborations pour l'innovation et sur l'existence d'éventuels effets de structure et notamment d'effets-taille. Nous développons dans un premier temps un modèle d'adoption des collaborateurs, qui met en évidence le rôle potentiel de la géographie des ressources et de l'histoire des relations passées (effets de lock-in) pour la dimension spatiale des collaborations. Nous nous appuyons dans un deuxième temps sur une base de données originale recensant plus de 14 000 contrats CIFRE sur la période 1981-2006 et testons deux modèles économétriques complémentaires. Trois grands résultats ressortent de ce travail : la géographie des collaborations pour l'innovation est marquée par une forte inertie, l'existence d'effets régionaux et le rôle important d'effets-taille.Innovation, géographie, inertie, ressources, distance

A Coursework Alternative to Work Placements

In medical science education, work placements are highly valued, yet have notable limitations: 1. Students’ individual experiences vary significantly; 2. Students acquire deep knowledge of only one medical science profession; 3. Placement co-ordinators are challenged to find increasing numbers of positions, with the ‘personal flavour’ approach clearly unsustainable. Our alternative coursework approach overcomes these limitations while giving students a meaningful understanding of work settings. We focus on three elements: 1. Discussions with professionals to make students aware of the diverse opportunities and career paths; 2. Visits to workplaces to let students i) engage with, and freely question, working professionals on their home ground; ii) participate in relevant hands-on activities; and iii) build an opinion on their own suitability for certain careers; 3. An in-depth interview with a research/medical professional to give students real insight into specific careers, reinforce their confidence in approaching potential supervisors/employers, and even create opportunities for postgraduate study (two 2010 students are studying Honours with their interviewed researchers). Evaluation shows this approach-- highly transferable to other disciplines--helps students make highly informed choices regarding future studies/careers, and builds stronger relationships between universities and relevant professional communities than one student/one workplace models

La réindustrialisation des territoires ruraux peu denses ? L’implantation d’un projet ambitieux au défi des proximités

Face à la réorganisation territoriale et à la compétition accrue entre les territoires, les villes rurales apparaissent particulièrement fragilisées. Nous interrogeons leurs capacités de rebond et l’importance de certaines ressources locales pour le retour d’activités économiques productives. A partir de l’analyse qualitative d’un projet de transformation de produits agroalimentaires biologiques, projet d’initiative privée qui « atterrit » dans une petite commune rurale de la Vienne, nous vérifions les atouts de la petite ville rurale et confirmons l’importance des ressources foncières (à bas coût et de qualité) et de la proximité physique immédiate entre acteurs dans l’émergence d’activités sur ces territoires. Nous soulignons également leur caractère non suffisant, la construction d’une proximité organisée pour une bonne gouvernance et un ancrage territorial du projet apparaissant indispensables.Faced with territorial reorganization and increased competition between territories, rural towns appear particularly weakened. We question their ability to rebound and the importance of certain local resources for the return of productive economic activities. Based on the qualitative analysis of a project for the transformation of organic agri-food products, a private initiative project which "landed" in a small rural town in Vienne, we verify the advantages of the small rural town and confirm the importance land resources (at low cost and quality) and the immediate physical proximity between the actors in the emergence of activities in these territories. We also underline their insufficient nature, the construction of a proximity necessary for good governance and a territorial anchoring of the project appearing essential

Softly, softly: Introducing research-led education into a successful first year course

‘If it isn’t broken, why fix it?’ How do we introduce innovative elements of research-led education into first year courses that rate well on student evaluations and appear reasonably successful? Such courses are often well established, tend to have a great deal of content that ‘must’ be covered, and deal with large numbers of students from diverse backgrounds. This paper presents an interim report of an action learning project, supported by the Science and Mathematics network of Australian university educators (SaMnet), to review a first-year biology semester-long course and introduce new research-led components that address threshold concepts in the discipline. Our approach involved a ‘softly, softly’ approach to bringing about change. In the first iteration of the reviewed course, subtle changes were made to introductory and practical activities, and a major change introduced in the last module, involving a sequence of small-group inquiry-based learning activities leading to a mini-conference on parasitology. The signs are that already students are benefitting from the revised approach, and notably are reporting an appreciation of more feedback from lecturers and tutors

Stratégies et trajectoires environnementales des établissements de Poitou-Charentes

L’article propose une analyse dynamique des stratégies environnementales des firmes, en lien avec les types d’innovations environnementales développés. À partir de données originales issues d’entretiens et portant sur près de 400 innovations environnementales adoptées par des établissements de Poitou-Charentes, les résultats mettent en évidence un lien entre la typologie des innovations environnementales, certains déterminants et les caractéristiques structurelles des établissements. L’apport de cet article repose également sur la mise en évidence d’une relation entre le déroulement de la trajectoire environnementale des établissements (types d’innovations environnementales adoptées au cours du temps) et le caractère cumulatif des processus d’apprentissage.This article proposes a dynamic analysis of firms’ environmental strategies in relation to the type of environmental innovations they are implementing. Drawing on original data compiled from interviews concerning approximately 400 environmental innovations adopted by firms in the Poitou-Charentes region, the results highlight an existing link between the type of environmental innovation, the different types of drivers, and the structural characteristics of the firms. The primary contribution of this article is to demonstrate a relationship between the firms’ environmental development path (types of environmental innovations adopted over time) and the cumulative quality of the learning process