Technological Paradigm Change and the Role of University Reserach: the Case of Micromachine and Japanese Research Universities

During the 80's, Microelectronical Systems (MEMS) have emerged as a new technological paradigm in the United States. From early one, some of Japanese private companies, who had already been engaged in a fierce technology race to develop semiconductors, decided to engage their R&D efforts in this new field. A new concept Micromachine, extending that of MEMS, has been introduced in Japan in 1988, and since then an increasing number of Japanese research universities, are deepening their investigation in the micromachine. The Japanese government, upon seeing the long term potential of the micromachine at the beginning of the 90s, had implemented a 10-year program "Micromachine Technology Project," a program that is based on the contribution of both private companies and research universities and supported by the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology. Are Japanese private companies and research universities effectively joining efforts as planned by the government? Do they go farther by forming a knowledge network around micromachine? These are the questions examined by this study.