Pharma-innovations

R&D collaborations

Human Capital

Disruptive Technologies

R&D Specialization Patterns

  • Top economist Aghion: EU must invest more in high tech or lose out to the United States
    Neuer Zürcher Zeitung | 13.08.2024 | Philippe Aghion & Peter Fischer (NZZ)

    Prof. Philippe Aghion has had a critical influence on the economic understanding of economic growth, innovation, and the rise and fall of companies. The French native, who taught at Harvard University for many years, believes that Europe must change if it wants to keep up with the United States.

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  • Research shows science increasingly contributes to innovation
    Science|Business | July 2024 |

    The magazine Science|Business mentioned one of our analyses in an article.
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  • Is global innovation losing its power? (German language)
    Die Volkswirtschaft | Mai 2024 | Christian Rutzer & Rolf Weder

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  • Novartis führt bei KI-Einsatz in Pharmaforschung
    Handelsblatt | August 2023 | Britta Rybicki

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  • Switzerland’s non-association to Horizon Europe could hit STEM subjects hard - with consequences for innovation
    Science|Business | March 2023 |

    The magazine Science|Business mentioned one of our analyses in an article.

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  • Innoscape-Talks in the Media: Auf der Jagd nach den versteckten Geldsäcken
    NZZ am Sonntag | 25.07.2021 | Innoscape Talk with Severin Schwan

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  • Gefährdet das Fehlen von Mint-Absolventinnen den Innovationsstandort Schweiz?
    Neue Zürcher Zeitung | 03.05.2021 | Christian Rutzer & Rolf Weder

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  • Viele Erfinder wohnen jenseits der Grenze
    Die Volkswirtschaft | 04.03.2021 | Matthias Niggli, Christian Rutzer & Rolf Weder

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  • Grenzgänger – ein wichtiger Pfeiler für Innovationen «Made in Switzerland»
    Basler Zeitung | 30.09.2020 | Rolf Weder, Christian Rutzer & Matthias Niggli

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  • Die Innovationskraft der Schweiz wird unterschätzt – dank den Grenzgängern und der Personenfreizügigkeit ist sie höher als gedacht
    Neue Zürcher Zeitung | 25.09.2020 | Peter A. Fischer

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  • Rolf Weder geht in einem Beitrag der Weltwoche auf die Bedeutung offener Volkswirtschaften für Innovationen ein
    Weltwoche | 04.06.2022 | Rolf Weder

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    • Switzerland's Inventor Demographic Could Boost its Global Competitiveness

    The aging of the workforce is a major challenge. The demographic shift could have a profound impact on how countries innovate. We examine the evolution of inventor demographics across countries and technology fields over the past 30 years. Our results show that Switzerland stands out with a more favorable demographic composition of its inventors than other leading innovation hubs. This raises a number of interesting questions: What factors contribute to this unique demographic structure, and how could Switzerland leverage it to strengthen its position as a global innovation leader?

    Title: Switzerland's Inventor Demographic Could Boost its Global Competitiveness

    Date: April 2024

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic and Christian Rutzer

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    AI in Pharmaceutical Science

    Our analysis of scientific AI-pharma papers allowed us to gain quantitative insights into general industry trends, country and regional comparisons, valuations of leading pharmaceutical companies, as well as detailed looks at Basel heavyweights Novartis and Roche.

    Remarkably, Europe is doing really well, especially the life sciences in Switzerland! The following slides summarize our findings.

    Title: AI in Pharmaceutical Science

    Date: April 2024

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer

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    Is There a Secular Decline in Disruptive Patents? Correcting for Measurement Bias

    Despite tremendous growth in the volume of new scientific and technological knowledge, the popular press has recently raised concerns that disruptive innovation is slowing. These dire prognoses were driven in part by Park et al. (2023), a Nature publication that uses decades of data and millions of observations coupled with a novel quantitative metric (the CD index) that characterizes innovation in science and technology as either consolidating or disruptive. We challenge the Park et al. (2023) patent findings, principally around concerns of truncation bias and exclusion bias. Read more in our article published in the journal Research Policy.

    Title: Is There a Secular Decline in Disruptive Patents? Correcting for Measurement Bias

    Date: March 2024

    Authors:

    Jeffrey Macher, Christian Rutzer, and Rolf Weder

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    Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Women in Swiss Science and Innovation

    Over the last decades, the share of women among scientists and inventors in Switzerland has steadily increased. However, there remains a significant and very persistent higher dropout rate for women than for men over the course of their careers. This highlights a need for targeted strategies not only for recruiting more women into scientific and inventive professions but also for retaining them in these fields. Addressing the latter issue is especially critical for advancing gender diversity and achieving gender parity in Swiss science and innovation.

    Title: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Women in Swiss Science and Innovation

    Date: August 2023

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli and Christian Rutzer

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    How challenging is Switzerland’s non-association with Horizon Europe?

    One third of current Swiss scientific publications are joint work with scientists from the EU. Not surprisingly, Switzerland’s non-association to the EU's new Horizon Europe research program poses challenges for the Swiss research community, its economy and society as a whole. We shed light on the role of the predecessor program Horizon 2020 in promoting Swiss-European scientific partnerships to highlight the potential consequences of this non-association.

    Title: How challenging is Switzerland’s non-association with Horizon Europe?

    Date: June 2023

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic, Matthias Niggli, and Christian Rutzer

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    Digital technologies, technological improvement rates, and innovations “Made in Switzerland”

    The most rapidly advancing technologies today are primarily digital technologies. The Swiss innovation system, however, has a relatively low number of innovations in these technologies. This is evident in several important industries such as Pharmaceuticals, MedTech, and Electrical Engineering. Cause for concern? Read more in our article in the Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics.

    Title: Digital technologies, technological improvement rates, and innovations “Made in Switzerland”

    Date: January 2023

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli and Christian Rutzer

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    Spreading Out: The Adoption of Disruptive Technologies in Switzerland

    New ideas and technologies power the engine of modern economies. Some technologies have a limited impact in particular industries. But others, such as cloud computing, are sometimes labeled as disruptive because they strongly transform processes within entire industries or even affect the overall economy. In this report, we investigate the spread of such technologies throughout the Swiss labor market.

    Title: Spreading Out: The Adoption of Disruptive Technologies in Switzerland

    Date: October 2022

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli

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    From scientific paper to patent: The role of basic research for mRNA innovations

    We use the renowned mRNA technology as a case study to investigate the importance of basic research for applied research and innovations. Based on the results, we assess the current situation in Switzerland and derive policy recommendations.

    Title: From scientific paper to patent: The role of basic research for mRNA innovations

    Date: May 2022

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic and Christian Rutzer

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    Too little, too late? Switzerland is losing ground in fast-improving technologies

    Swiss-based innovations are concentrated mainly in rather slowly-improving technology domains, even in areas where the country has been traditionally strong. Swiss firms are nevertheless deeply involved in fast-improving cutting-edge technologies. But they tend to perform these activities more intensively abroad. This could be a cause for concern for Switzerland’s future as a research location.

    Title: Too little, too late? Switzerland is losing ground in fast-improving technologies

    Date: March 2022

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli and Christian Rutzer

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    Mind The Gap: Non-Western Origin Inventors in the USA and Europe

    The number of inventors with non-western ethnic backgrounds has increased tremendously in the USA and contributes significantly to its inventive capacity. This is different in continental European countries, which have been lagging behind in the global race for talents. In this analysis, we show the development over time and ask what this could mean for European policymakers.

    Title: Mind The Gap: Non-Western Origin Inventors in the USA and Europe

    Date: December 2021

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli and Christian Rutzer

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    Swiss University Patent Explorer (SUPEx)

    With our Swiss University Patent Explorer (SUPEx) you can explore the patent universe of Swiss universities: Discover with whom they collaborate, find out in which technology fields they specialize, and browse through specific patents with just one click! Try it out and let us know what you have discovered!  

    Title: Swiss University Patent Explorer (SUPEx)

    Date: December 2021

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic, Matthias Niggli and Christian Rutzer   

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    The rise of mRNA Technology

    The pharma’s hottest new tech – mRNA, proved itself successful in battling Covid-19. It could be a cornerstone of medical treatments in the future. In this analysis, we take a closer look on who is driving the development of this technology.

    Title: The rise of mRNA Technology

    Date: October 2021

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic and Christian Rutzer

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    International collaborations and quality of innovations

    Joint research between labs of different countries has increased rapidly over the last decades and, without a shred of doubt, will continue to do so. We ask whether the benefits of such collaborative international research depend on who the partner country is. If yes, which R&D locations increase the quality of innovation the most? What could this mean for Swiss policy and future innovation activities? 

    Title: International collaborations and quality of innovations

    Date: September 2021

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic and Christian Rutzer

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    A Gender Gap to More Innovation in Switzerland

    Women account for just about 10 percent of patent inventions. Why are female inventors so underrepresented? In the article, you find out how this gender gap historically evolved, why it might hinder innovation in Switzerland, and what can be done about it.
     

    Title: A Gender Gap to More Innovation in Switzerland

    Date: May 2021

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli and Christian Rutzer

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    International R&D Specialization

    Switzerland is primarily specialized in Pharmaceuticals or Medtech. But what about other countries like China or the US? And how have global R&D patterns changed over time? Take a look at our dashboard and derive your own conclusions! 



     

    Title: International R&D Specialization

    Date: January 2021

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer and Matthias Niggli

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    What’s next? Swiss Pharma in the International Innovation Race

    Pharmaceutical clusters are in global competition and are pushed to constantly develop new innovations.
    In this report, we use machine learning to investigate the current quality of the innovation pipeline of different countries, clusters, and companies. We discuss who is potentially leading this innovation race and what may lie ahead for the global innovation landscape of pharmaceuticals.

    Title: What’s next? Swiss Pharma in the International Innovation Race

    Date: December 2020

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer and Matthias Niggli

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    Cross-border commuting and inventions 'Made in Switzerland'

    Doctors, teachers or software engineers cross the Swiss border regularly as commuters. In general, Switzerland benefits a lot from them. In this analysis, we focus on a special group of cross-border commuters - the inventors. This report shows that their role in Swiss innovativeness should not be underestimated.
     

    Title: Cross-border commuting and inventions 'Made in Switzerland'

    Date: September 2020

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli, Christian Rutzer and Dragan Filimonovic

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    Pharma - a driver of innovation and growth in Switzerland

    The Swiss pharmaceutical sector has a major impact on the domestic economy, also being well-known as one of the world’s leading innovation hubs. We revisit some of its key development indicators and compare them with the situation in other countries.
     

    Title: Pharma - a driver of innovation and growth in Switzerland

    Date: October 2020

    Authors:

    Dragan Filimonovic, Christian Rutzer and Matthias Niggli

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    Philippe Aghion | Innoscape Talk #10

    The Power of Creative Destruction

    Creative destruction - the process where new innovations replace old innovations - is at the heart of economic prosperity, driving growth and reshaping entire industries.

    In our 10th Innoscape Talk, we had the honor to interview Prof. Philippe Aghion during his visit at the Faculty of Business and Economics and the Center for International Economics and Business (CIEB) at the University of Basel. He is a pioneer in modelling and fully understanding the process of creative destruction (a term and idea developed by Joseph Schumpeter) and one of the world's leading researchers in the area of innovation and growth. In this video, Prof. Aghion shared his insights from his research over many decades.

    Drawing from his book “The Power of Creative Destruction”, Philippe Aghion dives into the tensions between progress and resistance and explores how policies can maximize innovation while being aware of its implications. In the discussion, Prof. Aghion also shows how economic theory can help us to analyze and understand pressing real world issues and how economics has helped to find better policies to solve recent economic problems.

    Prof. Aghion highlights how competition spurs innovation by motivating top-performing firms to "escape competition" through advancement, while also stressing the importance of labor market policies to help lagging firms and workers to adapt. He reflects on how Schumpeter’s fear of entrenched incumbents preventing innovation is playing out today and why green and inclusive growth is the defining challenge of our time – and how it can be supported in economic policies.

    This conversation offers profound insights into how governments, firms, and civil society can collaborate to harness the power of innovation; it is precise, but also encompassing and highly relevant, making it a must-watch for policymakers, business leaders, economists, students, faculties and anyone interested in the future.

    Title: Philippe Aghion | Innoscape Talk #10

    Date: November 2024

    Authors:

    Rolf Weder (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Simon Ittig | Innoscape Talk #9

    Entrepreneurship in Biotech

    University spin-offs play an important role in the innovation landscape, often transforming cutting-edge research into impactful industry applications.

    In our 9th Innoscape Talk, we explore the success story of T3 Pharmaceuticals with CEO and founder Simon Ittig. The company, with its origins at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, has been acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in a significant deal, underscoring the value of their approach and the potential of their technology.

    Despite significant advances of classical therapies, there remains a high need for novel and innovative medicines to treat cancer. T3 Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to filling this gap by developing highly specific and efficient treatments using live bacteria.

    Simon outlines T3 Pharmaceuticals’ journey from its roots in academic research to becoming a leader in bacterial cancer therapy. He talks about initial funding hurdles, ensuring the growth of the company, and the optimal timing for forging key partnerships. He also offers practical advice for aspiring Swiss entrepreneurs and discusses the pivotal role of the Basel life science cluster in fostering innovation, highlighting the remarkable transition of scientific research into a thriving business.

    Title: Simon Ittig | Innoscape Talk #9

    Date: April 2024

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Bernd Bucher | Innoscape Talk #8

    AI and Big Data in the Life Sciences​

    We are experiencing an increasing digitalization of the healthcare sector and are entering an era where artificial intelligence and big data could revolutionize research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.

    In our 8th Innoscape Talk we had the pleasure to talk with Bernd Bucher, CIO at Novartis. We explore how the company plans to take advantage of the rapidly evolving technology landscape and how it is trying to integrate various innovations into its ongoing business operations.

    Bernd Bucher sheds light on the integration of AI and big data in Novartis's operations, highlighting their crucial role in drug discovery and development. He discusses the balance between internal and external data science resources and addresses the challenges of embedding AI into pharmaceutical processes. The conversation also explores the future of AI-driven drug discovery and the potential impact of digitalization on industry competition.

    Title: Bernd Bucher | Innoscape Talk #8

    Date: December 2023

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Sebastian Welter | Innoscape Talk #7

    Digital Innovations at IKEA Switzerland

    Artificial intelligence, the use of drones and robots or augmented reality are among the most promising new technologies that have the potential to reshape entire industries.

    In our 7th Innoscape Talk we sat down with Sebastian Welter, Innovation Leader at IKEA Supply. We explore how the company is navigating the rapidly evolving technology landscape and how it is trying to leverage these innovations for its own business success.

    We discuss innovation at IKEA, explore the company's organizational structure and processes, the role of collaboration and the decision-making process regarding in-house innovation versus buying external services. We then examine the significance of data and intellectual property for IKEA's business model. Finally, Sebastian Welter shares his views on Switzerland as an innovation hub.

    Title: Sebastian Welter | Innoscape Talk #7

    Date: May 2023

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Nicholas Bloom | Innoscape Talk #6.2

    The Impact of Remote Working on Individuals and Society

    Over a third of jobs in the US are now partially or fully remote. With this number expected to further  increase it is important to investigate the economic effects of these fundamental changes in behavior.

    The second part of our 6th Innoscape Talk with Nicholas Bloom, Professor at Stanford University, is dedicated to address exactly this question.

    In the beginning of the interview we investigate how remote work is linked with globalization and how it reshapes labor markets. Afterwards we discuss how remote work affects urban development and public budgets. Last but not least Nicholas Bloom explains how even our leisure time activities are being affected by the new ways of working.

    Title: Nicholas Bloom | Innoscape Talk #6.2

    Date: March 2023

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Nicholas Bloom | Innoscape Talk #6.1

    The Effects of Covid-19 on Remote Work

    The covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed our working practices. Within few years remote working has become the new normal for many people.

    In the first part of our sixth Innoscape Talk, Nicholas Bloom, Professor at Stanford University, explains us how the work practices changed over the last years and we discuss how productivity and innovation activities of firms are affected by remote work. Further, we try to forecast how remote work will develop over time and what skills in the workforce will become increasingly important.

    For more Information and graphs check out the slides available under Downloads.

    Title: Nicholas Bloom | Innoscape Talk #6.1

    Date: February 2023

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Martina Hirayama | Innoscape Talk #5

    Switzerland's research and innovation policy

    What are the implications of Switzerland's exclusion from European research programs? How is digitalization transforming research and development in Switzerland?

    In our fifth Innoscape Talk, Martina Hirayama, the State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, shares her views on these challenges for the Swiss innovation system. We also talk about the role of the government in boosting innovation and collaborations between universities and the private sector.

    Title: Martina Hirayama | Innoscape Talk #5

    Date: December 2022

    Authors:

    Rolf Weder (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Catherine Chammartin | Innoscape Talk #4

    Innovations and IP

    How are intellectual property (IP) rights linked to innovation activities? What challenges in the digital world does IP face?

    Our fourth Innoscape Talk addresses these questions, where Catherine Chammartin (Director General of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property) guides us through the intellectual property universe and explores its importance for a thriving innovation landscape.

    Title: Catherine Chammartin | Innoscape Talk #4

    Date: June 2022

    Authors:

    Matthias Niggli (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Erik Brynjolfsson | Innoscape Talk #3

    Digital Innovations

    What is the impact of disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence on innovation activities? What are the implications for society?

    Our third Innoscape Talk is dedicated to the topic of accelerating digitalization due to disruptive technologies. Erik Brynjolfsson (Professor at Stanford University) explains how new technologies evolve and collapse and shares his expertise on how artificial intelligence can impact our future work life.

    Title: Erik Brynjolfsson | Innoscape Talk #3

    Date: March 2022

    Authors:

    Christian Rutzer (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Paul Romer | Innoscape Talk #2

    The Economics of Innovation

    Our second Innoscape Talk episode is devoted to the economic analysis of innovation and growth. Paul Romer (Nobel Prize in Economics 2018) explains why innovations are so important for the economic development and shares his views on the role of governments, markets and digitalization in innovation processes.

    Title: Paul Romer | Innoscape Talk #2

    Date: September 2021

    Authors:

    Rolf Weder (Interviewer). CIEB | Universität Basel

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    Severin Schwan | Innoscape Talk #1

    Innovations in the Swiss Pharma Industry

    Is Switzerland losing its position among the world’s leading locations for R&D?

    Our first Innoscape Talk is dedicated to the topic of innovation in the Swiss pharmaceutical industry. Severin Schwan (CEO Roche) explains his views about the current developments in the Swiss life sciences sector and shares his experiences on how to accelerate innovation within a corporation.

    Title: Severin Schwan | Innoscape Talk #1

    Date: July 2021

    Authors:

    Rolf Weder (Interviewer). CIEB | University of Basel

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    Philippe Aghion | Lecture Series #4

    Title: Philippe Aghion | Lecture Series #4

    Date: May 2024

    Authors:

    Philippe Aghion, Frank Krysiak and Rolf Weder

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    Dave Donaldson | Lecture Series #3

    Title: Dave Donaldson | Lecture Series #3

    Date: November 2023

    Authors:

    Dave Donaldson and Rolf Weder

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    Gene M. Grossmann | Lecture Series #2

    Title: Gene M. Grossmann | Lecture Series #2

    Date: May 2023

    Authors:

    Gene M. Grossman and Rolf Weder

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    Bradford J. Jensen | Lecture Series #1

    Title: Bradford J. Jensen | Lecture Series #1

    Date: December 2022

    Authors:

    Bradford J. Jensen and Rolf Weder

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