historical background involved in development. Through this research project, it has
become clear that industry–university collaborative research in Japan is not open at
all but has many closed parts.
(1) R&D tool sales and the analysis service implementation platform are not readily
available for use.
(2) No specific drug development candidates have been determined for ringworm or
related advanced pathogens.
(3) The matching system, which connects research institutions (academia) and
venture companies, is underdeveloped.
5 Barriers to the Commercialization of Pharmaceutical
Products
For academia to continue TR and operate independently, the formation of an R&D
pipeline is needed that can raise funds. R&D including TR is essentially a patent
business and thus funding, commercialization, medicalization, and so on depend on
the strength and scope of patents. The success of R&D pipeline formation in
academia depends on patents. A researcher at a government-affiliated TR center
gave a speech about two international barriers that are present in government policies
advocating for science and technology: financial issues and the patent system in
Japan.
5.1 Financial Issues
Grants-in-aid: The Japanese government provides financial aid, also called KAKEN
(Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research), which consists of competitive funds
intended to significantly develop all scientific research (research based on the free
ideas of the researcher), from basic to applied research in all fields, ranging from the
humanities and the social sciences to the natural sciences. The grants provide
financial support for creative and pioneering research projects that will become the
foundation of social development. The research projects are selected using a peerreview screening process (screening by multiple researchers whose field of specialization is close to that of the applicant). However, in Japan, many research funds are
managed under the leadership of the government, and the amount is not sufficient.
The budget of the “Bridged Research Acceleration Network Program” was
implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology until FY2014, and from FY2015 by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and
Development as subsidized and commissioned projects. The total budget executed
by the Japanese government is shown below (Table 2). However, the cost of drug
144
K. Fujitani et al.
become clear that industry–university collaborative research in Japan is not open at
all but has many closed parts.
(1) R&D tool sales and the analysis service implementation platform are not readily
available for use.
(2) No specific drug development candidates have been determined for ringworm or
related advanced pathogens.
(3) The matching system, which connects research institutions (academia) and
venture companies, is underdeveloped.
5 Barriers to the Commercialization of Pharmaceutical
Products
For academia to continue TR and operate independently, the formation of an R&D
pipeline is needed that can raise funds. R&D including TR is essentially a patent
business and thus funding, commercialization, medicalization, and so on depend on
the strength and scope of patents. The success of R&D pipeline formation in
academia depends on patents. A researcher at a government-affiliated TR center
gave a speech about two international barriers that are present in government policies
advocating for science and technology: financial issues and the patent system in
Japan.
5.1 Financial Issues
Grants-in-aid: The Japanese government provides financial aid, also called KAKEN
(Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research), which consists of competitive funds
intended to significantly develop all scientific research (research based on the free
ideas of the researcher), from basic to applied research in all fields, ranging from the
humanities and the social sciences to the natural sciences. The grants provide
financial support for creative and pioneering research projects that will become the
foundation of social development. The research projects are selected using a peerreview screening process (screening by multiple researchers whose field of specialization is close to that of the applicant). However, in Japan, many research funds are
managed under the leadership of the government, and the amount is not sufficient.
The budget of the “Bridged Research Acceleration Network Program” was
implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology until FY2014, and from FY2015 by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and
Development as subsidized and commissioned projects. The total budget executed
by the Japanese government is shown below (Table 2). However, the cost of drug
144
K. Fujitani et al.