Social Network Analysis on Collaborative R&D Consortia in Pharmaceutical Field: Topological Properties of EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) Network

Abstract

A network including collaborative R&D networks is the place where knowledge is diffused, shared, and evolves. In terms of Knowledge management, analyzing the network is important since it can detect how knowledge or information flows, diffuses or is shared in the certain network and thereby may provide helpful tips to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the network. In these days, numerous collaborative R&D networks or consortia have been emerged globally at diverse industrial and academic field in practice as international R&D collaboration has been highlighted. At the same time, discussions for more efficient and effective network have actively been done and network analysis such as SNA (Social Network Analysis) is considered as first step for those discussions. This paper therefore is designed to analyze real case of collaborative R&D network called IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) which is EU’s collaborative R&D program in pharmaceutical field. Through the social network analysis on IMI project consortia, this study try to observe the unique network properties of pharmaceutical collaborative R&D network.Based on the SNA, this study concludes major network property of IMI as a ‘disproportion network’ dominated by several multinational pharmaceutical companies with high centrality. Using the high centrality of pharmaceutical companies, this paper suggests strategy for network development which is mainly about consolidating functions of pharmaceutical companies in running IMI network.