台灣醫療器材廠商創新研發策略聯盟之研究

Abstract

我國政府自1980年代便將生技產業列為重點科技發展項目，並分別於1995年及2009年頒布核定「加強生物技術產業推動方案」及「台灣生技起飛鑽石行動方案」，在政策推動下，我國生技產業除歷年整體產值呈現上升之趨勢，其中，醫療器材產業之產值年成長率最高，且是近年來佔總產值比例最高之核心領域。本論文旨在研究我國生技產業中最具發展前景之醫療器材產業，觀察與分析廠商於創新研發階段，形成研發策略聯盟之動機，與研發策略聯盟對廠商創新研發的助益，供我國之醫材廠商及後進之新創醫材公司可行之研究發展策略規劃參考。 前人研究文獻指出，研發策略聯盟有助於企業之技術發展及產品開發(Zhang et al., 2007；Willoughby and Galvin, 2005；Gaya and Dousset, 2005)，本論文從此假設出發，併用量化及質性研究方法，收集125家公開發行的醫療器材廠商近15年的財報資料，檢視我國醫療器材廠商研發策略聯盟的動機及研發策略聯盟對廠商創新研發的助益。量化資料蒐集主要來自公開發行醫療器材公司出版之歷年年報，以及透過中華民國專利資訊檢索系統查找之專利相關資料；至於質性研究部份，將使用半結構式訪談之方式，並以立意抽樣之方式對選定之公司進行初級資料之蒐集，最後以主題分析(Thematic analysis)法進行質性分析與歸納。 本論文之研究成果發現，廠商研發策略聯盟的合作動機以及對廠商的助益包括滿足對資金、人才人脈資源、技術知識、原料設備等需求。專利數越多的公司，反而較少與其他單位研發策略聯盟;但公司研發投入比例越高越有助於研發策略聯盟的建立。在合作模式的類型選擇方面，我國廠商於研發合作模式之選擇，以國內產學合作及產研合作為主，國內同業合作及異業合作次之，至於與國外之產學合作、產研合作、同業合作、異業合作則較少。故本文建議，企業應以更開放且積極之態度尋找更多元之合作研發機會，政府則應建立完善之技術交易體系，以促進跨組織、跨產業、跨國之研發策略聯盟，促成企業之技術發展及產品開發。

Literature maintains that firms are benefited from strategic alliances in the innovation process (Zhang et al., 2007；Willoughby and Galvin, 2005；Gaya and Dousset, 2005). To understand the motivation and the benefits of the firms in R&D strategic alliances, this research analyzes how do Taiwanese medical device firms establish collaborations in the innovation process.

The development of the biotechnology industry in Taiwan started from 1980’s. In the past three decades, two set of policies enacted in 2005 and 2009 to promote the progress of the biotechnology industry. The medical device sector, one of the most promising sub-sectors in the biotechnology industry, not only retains its excellent performance with the highest annual growth rate but also contributes the largest component of annual gross of value in recent years.

Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, this research gathers data from multiple resources. The data resource include, patent data collected from TIPO data base, interview data, and the alliance and financial data collected from the recent 15 years of the financial reports of 55 medical device firms who have initiated public offering. This research has three main findings. First, the motivations and the benefits to participating in R&D strategic alliances includes enriching capitals, improve human resources and personal connections, and enhancing technological capabilities. Second, the firms who own more patents has fewer alliances. Third, the most common types of the R&D strategic alliances in Taiwan are domestic academia-industry collaborations as well as the domestic inter-firm collaborations. However, the international collaborations are rare. This thesis therefore suggests; First, the firm should be more open-minded to seek possible opportunities to participate in R&D alliance. Second, the government should improve the institutional settings to facilitate the inter-organizational, inter-sectoral and international strategic alliance.