Closing Distances Between Academia and Market

The present article describes the recent evolution of the biopharmaceutical industry by highlighting the main forces that drive the behavior of dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs). It explores how these firms perform their role of “bridging institutions” by connecting the academia with the market. In doing so, they facilitate the transfer of biotechnology-related scientific knowledge into new medicines and other biotechnology products. The relationships DBFs establish with large pharmaceutical companies and the features of the competitive game they play with them are also analyzed and discussed.