Article: San-gaku-kan renkei: the Triple Helix Concept in Japan

Article written by Lyckle Griek, Owner, Japan Unlimited Consultants & Liaisons, Workum, Netherlands

Similar to Europe, government, business and research institutions in Japan are active in tapping the potential of the so-called ‘Triple Helix’. A large number of networks of ‘San’ (Industry), ‘Gaku’ (Academia) and ‘Kan’ (Gov­ernment) are closely cooperating in order to generate an innovative business-cycle based upon academic research.

At the local and regional level, governments and universities have set up offices to pro­mote cooperation between business, gov­ernment and universities. These offices often function as brokerages between the various partners and assist businesses in finding the right party for collaboration, by setting up meetings, conferences and matchmaking sessions.