Research on the involvement and success factors of star scientists in start-ups

Star scientists are an essential driver of innovation. Studies into the concept of star scientists were first carried out by Professor Lynne Zucker and Professor Michael Darby from the University of California. They identified that in science research fields a very small number of scientists are responsible for the notable discoveries, and that the brightest scientists in the world produce more publications, attract more citations and lodge more patents than other scientists. An international collaboration led by the Waseda Business School and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan has expanded on the concept of star scientists. Their novel JST-RISTEX project, entitled ‘Star Scientists and Innovation in Japan’ focuses on understanding innovation and entrepreneurship, and the role star scientists play in this in Japan. Associate Professor Kanetaka Maki is the Principal Investigator. Building a list of star scientists in Japan and constructing data sets that can be used for star scientist research were the two main project outputs. Key activities for the team were evaluating an initiative the Government of Japan introduced in 1998 promoting university-industry technology transfer and providing scientific evidence regarding the allocation of research funds from the perspective of a star scientist, in order to ensure that Japan remains competitive in the world, in terms of scientific innovation with real-world applications for industry. The project is the first to conduct science and technology innovation and related policy evaluation in Japan from the perspective of a star scientist using quantitative analysis.