Research consortia as a vehicle for basic research: The case of a fifth generation computer project in Japan

Abstract

This paper investigates the advantages and disadvantages of a publicly supported government-industry research consortium as a vehicle for conducting basic research, taking Japan's Fifth Generation Computer Systems Project as a case. After discussing the organization, activities, and achievements of the project, we inquire whether the usual explanations of cooperative R&D apply to the project. Complementarity of resources from different companies may not have been as important as in previous research associations in Japan (e.g. the VLSI Association) but the establishment of a temporary research institute with seconded researchers was an effective way to deal with the limited mobility of researchers in the Japanese labour market. Most importantly, the project fostered the spillover of created knowledge. There remains a doubt, however, whether the project can be a model for future research projects.