ABSTRACT
The strategic role played by both technological change and capability in economic and social development is well established. They have become essential components of industrial strategies of many developed and developing countries. Recently this has been particularly true of science-based technologies such as electronics or information technologies (IT). In response to the microelectronics revolution, some countries have designed policies for fostering local technological capability in this area. In most of them, governmental efforts to take advantage of the opportunities opened up by the microelectronics revolution are related to a previously established, governmentsponsored infrastructure of basic and applied research and also to the existence of state institutions for the promotion of S&T activities.
