PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE: A CASE STUDY OF THE ECONOMIC RETURNS OF DNA DIAGNOSTICS

This paper presents a quantitative case analysis of one US Advanced Technology Program (ATP) public–private partnership that advanced the technology infrastructure of molecular diagnostics, resulting in substantial downstream economic and public health benefits. Biotechnology R&D is generally characterized by technologies requiring substantial investments in time, money, and effort to develop and sustain concepts through long incubation times. Public sponsorship of a partnership between two companies who would have not otherwise collaborated, Affymetrix and Molecular Dynamics, accelerated the development of DNA microarrays and DNA sequencing technologies and induced innovation at competitor firms. Public sponsorship of private-company research accelerated the completion of the Human Genome Project and improved both the quality and rapidity with which the biotechnology industry and medical science acquire genetic information. Counterfactual scenarios were used to quantify net public benefits by estimating the hypothetical costs of achieving the same outcomes as using the processes and technologies the ATP-cofunded innovations superseded.     

生物技术、国际贸易与人力资源——一个理论框架分析及其政策含义

随着生物技术的广泛应用,人类的生活必将发生翻天覆地的变化,对于未来的农产品国际贸易格局来说,也将是一场彻底的革新。我国应适时抓住重组赶超的历史机遇,选择最佳的发展模式,去抢占“新文明”经济时代下生存和发展的国际空间。本文从静态的李嘉图方程组出发,采用均衡和非均衡动态分析的方法,研究生物经济背景下农产品国际贸易的最优格局及发展趋势。要提高我国农产品的国际竞争力,作为农业经营的主体———农村劳动力素质的提高、农村人力资本的积累和发展是最为迫切,也是最为重要的。     

现代生物技术在食品和农业领域的应用

现代生物技术主要是基于基因修饰（GM）的理论、利用重组DNA技术,包括了发酵工程、遗传工程、细胞工程、酶工程、组织培养、生物反应器等处理生物性材料和物质的方法,目前已在农牧业、医药保健业等方面取得了巨大的成就,而且不断地、快速地向食品行业渗透和发展。本文论述了现代生物技术在食品和农业领域的应用现状。     

Does biotechnology have a role in the promotion of underutilised crops?

Rapidly developing biotechnology applications aimed at improving major crops receive large investments and could, in theory, play a role in the promotion of underutilised plant species in the tropics and subtropics, in order to address current and emerging challenges for agriculture. The application of such methods is, however, sometimes controversial, and the frequently considerable costs involved must be weighed against the limited resources available to develop underutilised species, as well as against the many alternative methods available for promotion. Through database searches, we take an evidence-based approach to assess whether there are clear examples where biotechnology has been used practically to enhance the cultivation of underutilised plants at a field level. We conclude that tissue culture and micropropagation techniques have proven useful, but for other applications benefits are generally unclear at present, although ongoing work suggests genomic and genetic modification approaches may in future be significant for a subset of underutilised species. Successful outcomes, however, appear to be limited by a lack of integrated thinking during the use of biotechnology methods. We review the particular limitations and risks associated with applying biotechnology to underutilised crops, including the negative consequences of technology centralisation. In addition, the specific actions needed to ensure that smallholder farmers in low-income countries better benefit during the use of biotechnology on underutilised species, by placing a stronger emphasis on partnerships and by proper monitoring of benefits along value chains, are described.     

生物技术在食品检测中的应用

随着世界的发展与进步,人们生活变得越来越便利,与此同时,社会问题也越来越突出,其中食品安全问题日益严重,无论是国家还是平常百姓都给予了高度的关注。传统的食品检测方法已经不能适应现代社会的发展要求,因此为了满足社会的发展需要,将生物技术运用在食品检测中,将生物技术所具有的特异性强、效率高、成本低等特点充分发挥出来,促进食品检测的有效进行。基于此,以此为出发点,对食品检测中如何应用好生物技术提出相关策略。     

The economic impacts of technology and climate change: New evidence from U.S. corn yields

Over the past century, U.S. farmers have been offered a steady stream of new agricultural technologies, and more recently, experienced climate change. Because these two events have been occurring simultaneously, identifying their separate effects is difficult, and misimputation is easy. This article explicitly examines the economics of technical change and the interaction between weather and technology as revealed in a half century of panel data on U.S. Midwest rainfed state‐average corn yields. Observed yields reflect two components: yield potential and damage to the potential caused by weather and pests. Yield potential is modeled as a stochastic production frontier where nitrogen fertilization, public corn research, and introduction and adoption of biotech corn seeds impact yield potential and excess heat impacts nitrogen productivity. The yield‐damage/damage‐control function permits biotech corn plants to abate adverse effects of weather and pest events. Results include the following: nitrogen use, public corn research, and biotech seed‐corn adoption increase yield potential; soil moisture stress reduces yield potential, and excess heat severely reduces nitrogen productivity. Biotech corn plants abate yield damage caused by soil moisture stress but not excess heat.     

When do firms benefit from university–industry R&D collaborations? The implications of firm R&D focus on scientific research and technological recombination

Firms' access to academic discoveries through R&D collaborations has been shown to enhance their patent performance. However, increasing both internal and external R&D activities can lead to high knowledge redundancy and coordination costs. This paper examines what kind of R&D focus inside the firm will improve or reduce the benefits of R&D collaborations with universities. Our results show that technological recombination focus strengthens the relationship between university collaborations and patent performance, whereas scientific research focus weakens the relationship. These results also differ between young and old firms, implying that firms may shift their R&D focus according to their collaborative objectives.     

International diffusion of gains from biotechnology and the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy

This paper analyses the impact of adopting or rejecting genetically modified (GM) crops in the European Union, taking into account the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In this paper the productivity impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) differs across crops, taking factor biased technology change into account. The transfer of knowledge across countries is modelled as a process of endogenous knowledge spill-overs. Analysis with a multi-region applied general equilibrium model shows that the CAP protects farm income and production despite non-adoption of the more productive GM crops in the EU. The EU will forgo substantial benefits in terms of economic welfare if it bans GM imports.     

Scenarios on the future of biotechnology

The major areas of research and development in biotechnology are maturing at a rapid rate, and may soon converge with one another. These emerging biotechnology areas range from the development of new medicines and drugs, genetically engineered foods, biologically controlled industrial manufacturing processes, and biologically based computing devices to the creation of new industrial materials and devices based upon biological structures and the use of biotechnology in food production. Each of these research areas carries the potential for strong societal reaction. To explore the potential impact of biotechnology on society, two fundamental drivers that influence societal acceptance of biotechnology are described. First, the extent to which technological integration proceeds may strongly impact the way society uses and perceives biotechnology. Second, the degree to which the public eventually accepts biotechnologically derived products and processes as legitimate and reliable alternatives to current products may shape both market demand and public policy. Taken together, these drivers suggest four discrete alternative scenarios for the future of biotechnology. Implications of these scenarios are discussed.     

Closing the innovative loop: moving from the laboratory to the shop floor in biotechnology manufacturing

Innovation is a hallmark of successful technology-intensive start-up companies. This paper considers manufacturing as a knowledge-generating activity integral to product innovation in entrepreneurial biotechnology firms. The model of the virtual corporation has been advocated as a means to focus on the resources of start-up companies; yet regional specialization in technical applications and product categories suggests that manufacturing may be a knowledge-generating activity that can provide a potential source of regional advantage. This paper considers the manufacturing strategies that bio-entrepreneurs would like to pursue and explores barriers to forward integration. While capital constraints may force firms to licence and subcontract manufacturing, it was found that entrepreneurs believe that it is important to undertake manufacturing and, when they are financially able, they invest in manufacturing facilities. The authors conclude by providing a framework for considering when it might be most appropriate for biotechnology firms to invest in manufacturing.