Write a Technical Report

The goal is to write a report, 10 to 20 pages long, analysing the differences between Japan and the European Union regarding R&D and market characteristics in the field of Robotics. Proper bibliography and adequate citing are mandatory. The report is divided into seral parts, each of them of a length of 1 to 3 pages: 1. Assess Japan’s industry (size, actors, role of the Japanese government) in this sector. Identify the main industrial and governmental actors involved in developing/producing the technology/business in the sector of Robotics. In particular, answer the following questions: - How many firms are involved in the industry (list up the main firms)? How do these firms participate in the industry (as businesses or R&D actors)? - What is the role of the Japanese government in driving growth in the industry? How “strategic” is the technology/business for the Japanese government for Japan’s future growth? - Are there any significant industrial associations/organizations involved in promoting the development of the technology/business? What are their roles? 2. Assess the competitive landscape (competition analysis) of the technology/business within your sector of specialization 3. Assess Japan’s innovation capacity in the technology/business within the sector of Robotics Identify the drivers and inhibitors of innovation in Japan within the technology/business within this sector. In particular, which specific sub-sectors is Japan leading and why? Which sub-sectors is Japan lagging and why? Is Japan considered a leading innovator in your area by other nations? Why, or why not? 4. What technical and business cooperation projects is Japan internationally involved in the sector? Identify specific projects of multinational cooperation, countries involved, large firms, SMEs, research organizations, Universities, and other National Research Institutes teams involved. What areas of international cooperation is Japan engaged in? If there is no ongoing international cooperation, are there any national cooperation projects? Why is there no ongoing international cooperation? 5. Which EU firms, governments and/or R&D organizations are involved in cooperation projects in Japan? Identify specific EU firms and SMEs, governments as well as possible R&D organizations actively involved in international cooperation with Japanese counterparts in the in the technology/business within this sector. Explain why the EU partners are involved in such cooperation, and explain what benefits the Japanese counterparts may draw from this cooperation. 6. How are industry, government and academia in Japan collaborating/working together in order to promote technological development in the field of Robotics? Identify collaborative structures and platforms linking industry, government and academia in Japan which promote technological development in the field. To what extend are, for instance the local/national government and universities involved in collaborative research with the industry? Do they contribute to the solution or to the problem formulation? Explain why or why not such collaborations are being formed, and what outputs are expected. 7. How are Japanese firms/R&D organisations/ universities involved in supporting the development and promotion of technical standards and regulations which effect the development of, and opening access to, SMEs in the development of niche products? Technical standards are highly important in many areas, for example in unifying production patterns and, thus in reducing production costs. What is the decision-making process in creating such standards in the sector of Robotics? Who are the actors involved? Are Japanese companies from this field leading in setting up global technical standards?