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Research and Development (R&D) service firms make significant contributions to innovation in other businesses. The extant literature considers these firms a homogenous sub-group of Knowledge Intensive Business Service firms (KIBS). The objective of this study is to investigate how R&D service firms innovate and the variety of innovation practices within these firms. Employing data from semi-structured interviews with senior managers from 32 UK-based R&D service firms, we suggest that there are two different modes of innovation: in the first mode, R&D service firms innovate similarly to KIBS whose innovation is ad-hoc in nature and driven by customers' requests; another group of R&D service firms innovate like New Technology-based Firms (NTBFs) relying more on structured in-house R&D activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) is a potent and highly selective humanized monoclonal antibody of the immunoglobulin G4κ class directed against the immune checkpoint programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1). Binding to PD-1 prevents its interaction with natural ligands and allows for the reactivation of the immune response against cancer cells. The list of approved indications of pembrolizumab is fast expanding, including its use as first-line treatment of metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is a complex and evolving disease. Pharmacogenomics significantly contributed to understanding this complexity, allowing for the identification of molecular biomarkers and novel pharmacologic targets. This approach has delivered more effective and less toxic drugs for advanced NSCLC. In our opinion, pharmacogenomics played a key role in the approval of pembrolizumab as frontline therapy for NSCLC with high expression of the PD-1 ligand, which occurs in ∼30% of patients. Moreover, an analysis conducted on the ongoing clinical trials sponsored by the drug's patent holder shows that the characterization and validation of additional pharmacogenomic biomarkers of response has the potential to extend the frontline clinical use of pembrolizumab in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay studies the diffusion/adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)’ innovation strategies and particularly in research, development, design and other innovation activities. It looks at the effects of these technologies on the evolution and the dynamics of firm's innovation capabilities and the implications of entrepreneurial turnover on the adoption of said technologies. The study is based on original fieldwork with some 130 SMEs. The author finds that a consistent share of SMEs is actively trying to fill the knowledge gap and integrate Web 2.0 technologies in their innovation strategies. SMEs are managing this integration by progressively adjusting their behaviour in reaction to the opportunities offered by the technology and balancing the dependence of the business from the web. Barriers to the adoption of such technologies are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outsourcing of research and development (R&D) activities has grown rapidly in recent years. Outsourcing has major implications for how knowledge and R&D activities are organised and coordinated in a wider open innovation environment and creates major challenges for firms and their managers. This paper explores the implications of outsourcing and the increasingly distributed nature of research and innovative activities using primary survey data collected from the UK pharmaceutical industry. These issues are uniquely examined at both firm and activity level. This paper then seeks to set the findings of the study within the context of the wider debate and conceptual frameworks surrounding R&D outsourcing and offshoring in terms of the increasingly open and distributed nature of research operations. This paper concludes by exploring the implications for this for firm strategy and the open innovation agenda and for future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments provide policy incentives to increase adoption rates of electric vehicles and achieve sustainability goals. This paper investigates the impact of UK financial purchase incentives on new registrations of electric fleets whilst moderating for change in gross domestic product (GDP). We use a unique dataset of new registrations of electric fleets in the UK for a 20-year period (1999–2019). Our results show that financial purchase incentives positively impact new registrations of electric fleets, and this effect is positively moderated by GDP change. Marginal analysis reveals three categories of adopters that purchase electric fleets at different levels of policy and GDP change: insensitive adopters, standard adopters, and sensitive adopters. Overall, financial incentives may be more effective in fostering the adoption of electric fleets when set to levels that are conditioned on the level of GDP change. In particular, financial purchase incentives are most effective when GDP change and incentives are above their average level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International mobility of researchers is increasingly constructed both as a science policy problem to be solved and as a goal to be pursued. Yet evidence on the experience of mobility and the factors associated with propensity to mobility remains patchy. We analyse comprehensive survey data on the mobility experience of university and non-university research institute researchers in the EU. Our results both confirm and challenge assertions about mobility made in the literature and in policy debates. We find that 57% of university respondents and 65% of institute respondents have experienced international mobility at least once in their research careers. We find that research visits are the most commonly experienced form of international mobility but that job migration (cross-country changes of employer) is also surprisingly common. International student mobility, and also industrial placement experience, seems to be a good predictor of subsequent mobility during the research career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop a theoretical framework on barriers and enablers of adoption by firms. • We review 53 articles on the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles by firms. • Firms adopt for efficiency, environmental, economic, and strategic gains. • We identify operational, economic, knowledge, and organisational policy barriers. • The impact of policy and emotions and their interaction requires further research. This paper synthesises and analyses factors affecting firms' adoption of Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs). Our theoretical framework on Firm Adoption of Sustainable Technologies (FAST) integrates several technology adoption models with the attribute of 'perceived risk'. On the basis of the FAST theoretical framework, we review and analyse 53 studies on the adoption of AFV fleets. We find that the primary enablers for firms to adopt are linked to efficiency, environmental, economic, and strategic gains. The primary barriers to adoption are limited knowledge, organisational policies, as well as operational and economic factors. Overall, the AFV fleet adoption literature suggests that large firms are more likely to become early adopters, which is largely due to their willingness to accept financial risks in exchange for first mover advantages. We suggest further research avenues particularly on policy and emotions and on the linkages between these two factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]