ABSTRACT
The investigation of the role of university-industry (U-I) research collaborations in shaping the innovative output of universities and firms has been a key issue in the debate on the relational nature of innovations. This chapter presents a case study of TOTO, the leading manufacturer of sanitary ceramics in Japan and the world market leader for toilet washing systems, as empirical illustration. Data come from primary and secondary data sources. Primary data come from indepth interviews with leading actors involved in TOTO's innovation process who see as crucial components, together with corporate researchers, two Pasteur scientists from the University of Tokyo: Akira Fujishima and Kazuhito Hashimoto. Secondary data come from the company's website and the Orbit database. The collaboration between TOTO and the University of Tokyo is rooted in the discovery and development of properties and applications of the titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts.
