A brief overview of the evolution and main features of the biotechnology industry

This paper offers an overview of the origin, evolution and main features of the biotechnology industry, putting particular emphasis on the behaviour of one key actor – the dedicated biotechnology firm. It starts with a brief historical background detailing the origin and dynamics of the industry, which is followed by a more detailed examination of the firms’ strategies, business models and networking behaviour. It concludes with a discussion on the constraints and opportunities faced by firms operating outside the main centres of knowledge production and business in biotechnology, as is the case of dedicated biotechnology firms located in Portugal. Adapted from Chapter 5 in Salavisa, I. and M. Fontes (Eds) Social Networks, Innovation and the Knowledge Economy, London: Routledge. A brief overview of the evolution and main features of the biotechnology industry _____________________________________________________________________________ 3 DINÂMIA’CET – IUL, Centro de Estudos sobre a Mudanca Socioeconomica e o Territorio ISCTE-IUL – Av. das Forcas Armadas, 1649-026 Lisboa, PORTUGAL Tel. 217938638 Fax. 217940042 E-mail: dinamia@iscte.pt http://dinamiacet.iscte-iul.pt/

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