ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses two cases in which a number of independent companies collaborated in the development of an innovative product. Both cases were located in the southern part of the Netherlands and, as well as various companies, both also involved the local development agency, local development agency (BOM). The first case concerns the development of a desktop electron microscope—the Phenom project. In the second case, a separate company was set up by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to undertake the development of a printer capable of printing the printed circuit boards used in computers and other electronic equipment—the Lunaris project. The aim of the Phenom project was to develop a desktop electron microscope. The institutional and economic contexts of the parties collaborating in product development projects determine the boundaries within which the projects are set up and executed. The technical and social contexts provide the boundaries for the day-to-day activities of the product development process.
