Title: European technology policy and R&D consortia: the case of semiconductors

Authors: Nathalie Lucchini

Addresses: Centre de Recherche en Economie Industrielle, Universite Paris-Nord, UFR de Sciences Economiques, Avenue J.B. Clement, 93430 Villetaneuse, France

Abstract: Government policies have played a decisive role in the semiconductor industry since it was born. They evolved during the 1980s as a result of the pressure exerted by innovation and R&D. Governments were forced to re-direct their policies at that time to develop ||technology policies|| in an industry considered to be strategic. This sector is encouraged and actively supported, which leads to cooperative initiatives among (national) firms. Many public R&D programmes now exist in most countries. This paper deals with technology policy and collaboration in the European semiconductor industry. It demonstrates that R&D consortia are mainly viewed as a means to improve Europe|s competitiveness and to catch-up with foreign competitors. We briefly discuss the impact of co-operative research on restoring the competitiveness of European semiconductor firms.

Keywords: co-operative R&D; European competitiveness; semiconductors; technology policy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1998.002631

International Journal of Technology Management, 1998 Vol.15 No.6/7, pp.542-555

Published online: 01 Aug 2003 *

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