International Entrepreneurship In The Life Sciences

‘The processes of internationalization, innovation and venture-creation in high-technology new ventures are inextricably intertwined. This is particularly true in the uncertain and troubled waters of the life sciences industry where startups with very uncertain futures are required to face significant challenges in short windows of opportunity. Navigating these waters is not straightforward, either for those immediately involved in it, or for those trying to understand it. This book is a must-read for anyone who is serious about understanding entrepreneurship in the biotechnology industry.’
– Alberto Onetti, CrESIT (Research Center for Innovation and Life Science Management), Italy

In this thought-provoking book, leading experts explore why international entrepreneurship is important to the life sciences industry. From multi-disciplinary and cross-national perspectives, they question why international entrepreneurship scholars might usefully invest interest in research focused on one specific industry context.

The book addresses contemporary challenges of relevance to life science firms and draws on leading-edge debates in international entrepreneurship research. Topics include: the nature of the born-global firm; the development of international capabilities and competencies; the role of local and international partnerships and alliances; competitiveness, opportunity recognition and orientation; and the role of specialized complementary assets in internationalization. It concludes by proposing an agenda for future research across the underpinning fields of innovation, entrepreneurship and internationalization.

This book will prove a stimulating read for academics, students and researchers with an interest in international business, management and entrepreneurship, as well as for practitioners in the health professions or life sciences academics who are, or may become, entrepreneurs.

Contents:

Introduction: International Entrepreneurship in the Life Sciences
Marian V. Jones, Colin Wheeler and Pavlos Dimitratos

PART I: NEW VENTURE ATTRIBUTES AND DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES
2. Assessing the Internationalization Capabilities of Life Science New Ventures
Marian V. Jones, Colin Wheeler, Pavlos Dimitratos and George Vlachos

3. Differences in the Strategic Orientations of Nordic and US-based Young Biotechnology Ventures
Maija Renko

4. Small Pharmaceutical Firms Building Capabilities to Compete Along the Global Research and Development Pipeline
Lisette Pregelj, Martie-Louise Verreynne and Damian Hine

PART II: THE ROLE AND ESTABLISHMENT OF PARTNERSHIPS
5. Partnership Formation in Small Biotech Companies
Niina Nummela and Outi Nurminen

6. Collaborative Entrepreneurship and Internationalization in Life Sciences: Global Growth through Collaboration in Italian Biotech Firms
Antonella Zucchella and Diala Kabbara

7. Alliance-driven Governance in the Scottish Life Sciences and its Contribution to Regional Development
Kean Birch and Andrew Cumbers

PART III: DEVELOPING CAPABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION
8. Sub-suppliers in the Life Science Industry: The Case of Two Danish University Spin-offs
Erik S. Rasmussen, Martin Hannibal, René Lydiksen and Per Servais

9. Rapid Internationalization and Sustained Competitive Advantage in US and UK Life Science International New Ventures: A Resource-based View
Karl Warner and Jon Carrick

10. Intellectual Property Protection: The Case of Three Swiss Life Science SMEs
Marcus Matthias Keupp, Sascha Friesike and Oliver Gassmann

PART IV: GROWTH, PERFORMANCE AND INTERNATIONALIZATION
11. Performance Trade-offs: Success, Revenue and Profitability
Colin Wheeler, Marian V. Jones, George Vlachos and Pavlos Dimitratos

12. Internationalization of Life Science Firms: Dynamics in the Interaction between Networks, Innovation and Export Performance
Vandana Ujjual

13. Firm Growth and Performance in Biotechnology: Financial Facts or Wishful Thinking?
Malin Brännback, Alan L. Carsrud and Niklas Kiviluoto

14. A Model of Decision-making Processes in Internationalized Life Science Firms
Pavlos Dimitratos, Marian V. Jones and Colin Wheeler

15. Towards a Research Agenda for International Entrepreneurship in the Life Sciences
Marian V. Jones, Colin Wheeler and Pavlos Dimitratos

References

Index