Industrial Technology Research Institute

Infobox Company
company_name = Industrial Technology Research Institute
company_
company_type = Non-profit research institute
foundation = 1973
location = Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City
key_people = Lin Hsin-i, Chairman Johnsee Lee, President
industry = R&D
products =
revenue = $475 million
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 6000+
homepage = http://www.itri.org.tw
footnotes =

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (zh-c|c=工業技術研究院, abbreviated 工研院; ITRI) is a non-profit research institute located in Taiwan under the supervision of the Republic of China Ministry of Economic Affairs. It conducts research and development in applied technologies for private sector growth. Founded in 1973, it gave birth to numerous key technologies now employed by the companies at the nearby Hsinchu Science Park and was instrumental in creating the "Taiwan Miracle."

History

ITRI was founded under the direction of Minister of Economic Affairs Sun Yun-suan and leadership of its first president Chao Chen Wang. A driving motivation was to transform Taiwan's existing export industries, which were developed in the 1960s and centered on textiles, shoes, plastic toys, and agriculture, to the more sustainable fields of petrochemicals, machine tools, and electronics. The development of high-technology industries propelled Taiwan into the status as one of the "East Asian Tigers".

ITRI played a key role in creating the semiconductor and electronics industry in Taiwan. The United Microelectronics Corporation spun off from ITRI in 1979 and established itself in the Hsinchu Science Park as the first major Taiwanese semiconductor company. It was followed by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation in 1986, the Taiwan Mask Corporation in 1988, and the Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation in 1994.Mathews, John A. [http://www.gsm.mq.edu.au/facultyhome/john.mathews/Abfdraft4.doc Encouraging knowledge-intensive industries: What Australia can draw from the industrial upgrading experiences of Taiwan and Singapore] . Australian Business Foundation (August 1999). URL accessed on June 24, 2006.] TSMC's first semiconductor wafer fabrication plant was setup on the ITRI campus in 1985.Nystedt, Dan. [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/archives/2002/04/25/0000133374 Cabinet to increase nanotech funding] . "Taipei Times". (April 25, 2002). URL accessed on June 24, 2006.] TSMC Chairman Morris Chang was concurrently Chairman and President of ITRI from 1986 to 1994.

Operations

With over 6000 employees and an operating budget of about US$ 510 million (half from the MOEA and half from private sources), ITRI is the largest research institute in Taiwan. [http://www.emsnow.com/newsarchives/archivedetails.cfm?ID=7360 ITRI and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG) renew cooperation agreement] . (December 17, 2004). URL accessed on June 24, 2006.] The largest ITRI campus is at Jhudong, Hsinchu County (the Chung-Hsing Campus). ITRI also has smaller research campuses in Hsinchu City (the Guangfu Campus) and Tainan (the Southern Branch). ITRI maintains overseas offices in San Jose, Tokyo, Berlin, and Moscow.

The core of ITRI's operations consist of basic research and development conducted in various applied technologies. Most of the research staff at ITRI have graduate degrees. Research projects are conducted with close cooperation and partial funding from small and medium-sized companies. The results of the research are transferred to these sponsors for further development and eventual manufacture for industry. Some successful research units have spun-off into successful companies of their own.

In addition to its own research units, ITRI rents out and provides logistical support to fledgling industrial enterprises (including its own spin-offs) at its "Incubation Center" and Open Laboratory program. ITRI also has an international division to seek out partners for the benefit of Taiwanese industries. ITRI has signed research alliances with leading foreign companies and universities such as Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, MIT and the University of California, Berkeley. [http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_20/b3933011.htm Why Taiwan Matters] . "Business Week". (May 16, 2005). URL accessed on June 24, 2006.] [http://www.taiwan.com.au/Scitech/RandD/Public/report03.html Public Sector Research Facilities] . "The Republic of China Yearbook". (2002). URL accessed on June 25, 2006.]

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said that the government-financed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will help domestic manufacturers churn out some 100,000 electric motorcycles in four years [http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=101846&topicId=104970025&docId=l:837646769] .

Organization

ITRI is organized into six core laboratories, five focus centers, several linkage centers, and various other supporting units.

Core Laboratories:
*Biomedical Engineering Research Laboratories (BEL)
*Electronics and Optoelectronics Research Laboratories (EOL)
*Energy and Environment Research Laboratories (EEL)
*Information and Communications Research Laboratories (ICL)
*Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL)
*Mechanical and Systems Research Laboratories (MSL)Focus Centers:
*Display Technology Center (DTC)
*Medical Electronics and Device Technology Center (MEDTC)
*Photovoltaics Technology Center (PVTC)
*RFID Technology Center (RTC)
*SoC Technology Center (STC)Linkage Centers:
*Center for Measurement Standards (CMS)
* [http://www.creativitylab.itri.org.tw Creativity Lab]
*Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center (IEK)
*Nano Technology Research Center (NTRC)
*Technology Center for Service Industries (TCSI)Business Development Units:
*International Business Center (IBC)
*Technology Transfer and Service Center (TTSC)Other Supporting Units:
*Administrative Service Center (ASC)
*Accounting Resource Center (ARC)
*Information Service Center (ISC)
*Headquarters: Office of Planning, Auditing Office, Legal Affairs Office, Treasury Office, Human Resources Office

References