University-Industry Collaboration from a Social-Anthropological Perspective – Hidden Dynamics in Japan

The importance of university-industry collaboration for effective resource application and for value creation has been commonly recognized in Japan, and the number of universities forming comprehensive external alliances has increased, particularly over the last ten years after a series of promotional measures undertaken by the government. This presentation discusses university-industry collaboration as an innovation system in Japan from a social-anthropological point of view and exemplifies the theoretical argument with the help of a real-life case: the Cultural Interface (CI) project, a collaboration between Yamatake Co., Ltd. and the School of Management at Tokyo University of Science where students and managers work together on various tasks and debate the results.

Nozomi Enomoto is a junior-associate professor of comparative cultural studies in the School of Management at Tokyo University of Science. Her research interests focus on the cultural interface between organizations in different settings, from both social and cultural anthropological aspects and a wide range of field work and case studies.