A short history off-line

Emerging technologies for learning report - Article exploring the history of ICT in education and the lessons we can learn from the pas

Technological agglomeration and the emergence of clusters and networks in nanotechnology

Based on the analysis of two clusters in nanotechnologies (MESA+ in the Netherlands and Minatec in Grenoble in France), the paper examines the emergence and effects of technological agglomeration. The social and technical arrangements of a regional centre for nanotechnology both enable and constrain the ongoing activities and research lines that can be followed. Technology platforms and their co-location are a pre-requisite for nanotechnology research and agglomeration of such platforms are both a means and outcome for institutional entrepreneurs to mobilise resources, build networks and construct regional centres of excellence in nanotechnology. Technological agglomeration shapes the networks that evolve and leads to the convergence of scientific disciplines.TECHNOLOGICAL AGGLOMERATION;TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM;CLUSTER;DISTRICT; CONVERGING TECHNOLOGY;MULTILEVEL ACTIVITIES

Research in nonlinear structural and solid mechanics

Recent and projected advances in applied mechanics, numerical analysis, computer hardware and engineering software, and their impact on modeling and solution techniques in nonlinear structural and solid mechanics are discussed. The fields covered are rapidly changing and are strongly impacted by current and projected advances in computer hardware. To foster effective development of the technology perceptions on computing systems and nonlinear analysis software systems are presented

Technology and the economy

Overview of economics of innovatio

Effect of a Polywell geometry on a CMOS Photodiode Array

The effect of a polywell geometry hybridized with a stacked gradient poly-homojunction architecture, on the response of a CMOs compatible photodiode array was simulated. Crosstalk and sensitivity improved compared to the polywell geometry alone, for both back and front illuminatio

Some educational implications of the microprocessor revolution

The development of the microprocessor has enabled a whole new generation of sophisticated electronic devices to be produced. Microprocessors are cheap to make, versatile in their range of application, and can be used to produce powerful computers and sophisticated pieces of control apparatus, which are being widely deployed in industry and commerce. They are also cheap enough to be used in a variety of household devices, from washing machines to videogames. This thesis examines some of the effects which the microprocessor might have on people's lives in the future, and the educational implications of their proliferation. From the educational point of view there are, perhaps, two broad areas of interest; firstly, direct effects arising from the introduction of microprocessors into educational establishments and, secondly, the indirect effects arising from changes in society. Before attempting to predict future changes in the educational system it is useful to review some current areas of interest and, therefore, some aspects of educational theory which may be relevant are examined. One widely accepted view of the microprocessor revolution is that it will lead to massive unemployment, and the validity of this view is examined. Some of the predictions of job losses which may ensue are also considered, together with some of the possibilities for occupying increased leisure time which may result. The concept of "education for leisure" is examined vis-a-vis possible changes in employment patterns. The direct role of microprocessors in schools is considered, together with future implications for teaching and learning. Possible consequences on the curriculum are discussed

VLSI Revisited - Revival in Japan

This paper describes the abundance of semiconductor consortia that have come into existence in Japan since the mid-1990s. They clearly reflect the ambition of the government - through its reorganized ministry METI and company initiatives - to regain some of the industrial and technological leadership that Japan has lost. The consortia landscape is very different in Japan compared with EU and the US. Outside Japan the universities play a much bigger and very important role. In Europe there has emerged close collaboration, among national government agencies, companies and the EU Commission in supporting the IT sector with considerable attention to semiconductor technologies. Another major difference, and possibly the most important one, is the fact that US and EU consortia include and mix partners from different areas of the semiconductor landscape including wafer makers, material suppliers, equipment producers and integrated device makers.semiconductors, Hitachi, Sony, Toshiba, Elpida, Renesas, Sematech, VLSI, JESSI, MEDEA, ASPLA, MIRAI, innovation system

Internationalisation of Innovation: Why Chip Design Moving to Asia

This paper will appear in International Journal of Innovation Management, special issue in honor of Keith Pavitt, (Peter Augsdoerfer, Jonathan Sapsed, and James Utterback, guest editors), forthcoming. Among Keith Pavitt's many contributions to the study of innovation is the proposition that physical proximity is advantageous for innovative activities that involve highly complex technological knowledge But chip design, a process that creates the greatest value in the electronics industry and that requires highly complex knowledge, is experiencing a massive dispersion to leading Asian electronics exporting countries. To explain why chip design is moving to Asia, the paper draws on interviews with 60 companies and 15 research institutions that are doing leading-edge chip design in Asia. I demonstrate that "pull" and "policy" factors explain what attracts design to particular locations. But to get to the root causes that shift the balance in favor of geographical decentralization, I examine "push" factors, i.e. changes in design methodology ("system-on-chip design") and organization ("vertical specialization" within global design networks). The resultant increase in knowledge mobility explains why chip design - that, in Pavitt's framework is not supposed to move - is moving from the traditional centers to a few new specialized design clusters in Asia. A completely revised and updated version has been published as: " Complexity and Internationalisation of Innovation: Why is Chip Design Moving to Asia?," in International Journal of Innovation Management, special issue in honour of Keith Pavitt, Vol. 9,1: 47-73.