NEC 2009 Annual Report Download - page 23

R&D PROMOTING BUSINESS
COMMERCIALIZATION
In order to make a success of businesses in global
markets, NEC believes that it is essential to carry out
R&D activities with an awareness of regional character-
istics of the market and technologies. For this reason,
NEC has established research operations in North
America, Europe and China that collaborate closely
with NEC’s research operation in Japan to form a
four-point worldwide network that ensures R&D activi-
ties at a global scale.
To improve efficiency and to accelerate business
commercialization in R&D activities, NEC actively uti-
lizes Open Innovation and is also engaged in Concur-
rent R&D (market oriented R&D) approaches.
For Open Innovation, NEC has adopted a basic
policy of engaging at a global scale. We are working
to strengthen and combine NEC’s own technologies
with technologies from domestic and overseas univer-
sities, institutions, and different industries organiza-
tions. This is being done through initiatives including
inviting researchers from outside NEC, joint research
activities, and accepting student trainees under intern-
ship programs.
For Concurrent R&D, NEC is taking on challenges to
create new value. For example, researchers are
exchanging views on actual business needs and
peripheral technologies with leading customers at the
early stages of research, especially in the solution and
services domains, and are effectively applying their
findings to R&D activities.
Through these measures, NEC aims to raise its
market competitiveness by shortening the time needed
to commercialize R&D achievements.
INTELLECTUAL ASSET STRATEGIES
SUPPORTING NEC
The NEC Group owns approximately 50,000 patents
worldwide, including approximately 30,000 patents in
Japan (as of March 2009). NEC positions intellectual
assets as “the foundation underpinning the NEC
Group’s business competitiveness and stability,” and is
working to establish a patent portfolio that will assist
business operations in the “Pro-Innovation” era. In
order to develop strong business, NEC has already
stepped up patent applications to ensure that patents
are derived from new technologies. Particularly in
growth areas, NEC will strive to fortify its patent network
by pursuing strategic group-wide patent projects while
strategically obtaining essential patents in standards.
To ensure stable and efficient business execution,
NEC will strive to obtain patents globally, form cross
license arrangements and alliances, and acquire intel-
lectual assets from outside the company. NEC has
established IA (intellectual asset) centers in the U.S.,
China, and Europe, and is working efficiently to obtain
patents in each region, while stepping up intellectual
asset development activities at overseas locations. At
the same time, NEC carefully monitors infringements
of its patents, trademarks, and designs by other com-
panies as well as illegal copies of products. Through
warnings and lawsuits, NEC works to protect its rights.
NEC’s Tsukuba Research Laboratories conducts
cutting-edge R&D activities in nanotechnology,
quantum IT, environmental and energy technologies
and other fields. Here, NEC strives to create a
research environment that spurs innovation by pro-
moting greater communication among researchers.
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NEC CORPORATION
Annual Report 2009