underground research

• Also called skunk work.

  • Independent research and development activities that are completely free from any influence from existing businesses or organizations.

  • What is Skunk Work - Cotobank

• Nikkei BP, Inc.

  • When asked if they could “devote some of their time, budget, and other resources” to so-called underground research, which designers undertake at their own discretion, only 9.1% said that “underground research is allowed as a system,” but 50.3% said that “it is not a system, but it is practically possible if you use after-hours hours, etc. However, 50.3% of the respondents answered that “it is not institutionalized, but it is practically possible if one uses after-hours hours, etc.”, while only 24.0% answered “it is not possible”, indicating a surprisingly high degree of freedom in research topics.

• Toray Industries, Inc.

  • Toray president says “Our company has underground research” (News Sokra) - Yahoo! News
  • Conversation with Nine Sigma Japan R&D TOP - point-based system

• Toshiba (company)

  • Toshiba Research & Development Center:For Students Large-Scale Communication System Technology Daisuke Ajitomi

    • The R&D Center has a system called “under the table,” which allows employees to spend up to 10% of their work time on any topic they wish. I belong to the Network Systems Division, and almost as a change of pace, I devised an eccentric text input system under the table.

  • [Kenichi Mori, Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Innovation Studies, Tokyo University of Science Innovation in the Development of Japanese Word Processors https://sangakukan.jp/journal/journal_contents/2012/09/articles/1209-02-2/1209-02-2_ article.html]

• Microsoft

  • How was the Xbox born?

  • Microsoft executives searched the company and found several teams researching the seeds of a new business. They immediately held an internal competition and selected the team that had been working on a skunk work on a game console that would solve the problems of game software developers.

  • The Falsity and Fact of Incubation - Diamond Online Mistakes in New Business Development Theme | The Falsity and Reality of Incubation | Diamond Online []

• relevance - If it’s a good idea, don’t ask permission.

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