Collaborative Patterns, Productivity, and Research Impact in the Careers of Star Researchers in a Japanese Semiconductor Company

This study analyzes how characteristics in the careers of star researchers affect the outcomes of research and development (R&D), based on a case study in a Japanese semiconductor company. By analyzing the collaboration network of patent coinventors in the company, we observe that long-term exposition and collaboration with other high-achieving researchers play a significant role in determining a successful career, that is, in terms of productivity and impact. Also, a deeper exploration of the characteristics of a selected group of star researchers in a company's R&D division helped to identify that it takes 10-15 years to generate remarkable achievements in the form of filing patents that are widely cited at a later stage. This period is followed by low productivity, thereby revealing productivity peaks such as those observed in the artistic and scientific careers but at different times. Industry researchers tend to follow a more fixed pattern. Additionally, we analyzed the influence of having star researchers in coinventor teams. Our results suggest that staying aligned in one research direction, long-term exposure to a diverse group of researchers, and early mentorship helped the researchers in our study to attain their achievements.