Kahaner Report: Brief science notes, PR China, Korea, Japan

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

From:
 Dr. David K. Kahaner
 US Office of Naval Research Asia
 (From outside US):  23-17, 7-chome, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106 Japan
 (From within  US):  Unit 45002, APO AP 96337-0007
  Tel: +81 3 3401-8924, Fax: +81 3 3403-9670
  Email: kahaner () cs titech ac jp
Re: Brief science notes, PR China, Korea, Japan
04/07/94 (MM/DD/YY)
This file is named "c-k-j.94"


ABSTRACT. Brief science notes from PR China (Software Engineering
Research Center), Korea (government S&T funding and accomplishments,
industry LCD plans), Japan (rapid prototyping at NAL).




> From various newspaper sources.


---------------


PR CHINA


The state Science and Technology Commission announced in
December 1993 that China's first computer software state engineering
research center (SERC) will be established in Shenyang to engage in
multimedia software r&d and marketing.  the facility will grow out of the
Northeast University Software Center, which produced 30 million yuan
($3.45 million) worth of software in 1993.  In a separate development,
ground was broken for the Southern Software Industrial Park in Zhuhai on
29 November 1993.  Funding and construction for this key state eighth
five-year plan (1991-95) project are the joint responsibility of the
Ministry of Electronics Industry and the Zhuhai municipal government.
Investment for the 320,000m^2 park totals almost 300 million yuan ($34.5
million). When first-phase construction is complete in two years, 15 to
20 firms with 1,500 engineers and managers are expected to establish
facilities there. Annual sales are projected at 400 million yuan ($46
million), with 70 percent of the products to be exported, realizing
annual export revenues of 250 million yuan ($29 million).  (Keji Ribao 18
Dec 93; Jisuanji Shijie 1 Dec 93)


----------------------------------------


SOUTH KOREA


The largest share of the nearly 2-trillion-won 1994 S&T budget is
allocated for R&D.


South Korea's 1994 Science and Technology budget--defined as "direct
support" to agencies of the central government for S&T-related
activities--has been set at 1.9596 trillion won ($2.45 billion),
according to a report in the 5 January Chugan Maegyong.  The amount,
which includes R&D, S&T promotion, and administrative budgets, is 32.7
percent higher than the reported 1993 S&T budget of 1.4767 trillion won
($1.846 billion).  Government S&T expenditures, which make up 20 percent
of the total funds spent by South Korea on Science and Technology,
account for 2.2 percent of the 1994 national budget, compared to 4.7
percent in the United States and 2.9 percent in Japan, according to the
report.


The largest share of the new s&t budget, some 1.5132 trillion won ($1.892
billion), is allotted to R&D, representing a 30-percent increase over
1993.  Specific R&D categories to be funded include:  state-funded
research expenses 712.2 billion won ($890 million), up 20 percent; R&D
subsidies 252.1 billion won ($315 million), up 54 percent; and "testing
and research expenses for national testing and research agencies" 243.3
billion won ($304 million), up 17 percent.  The largest overall increase
of 240 percent will go to the Ministry of Education , followed by the
Environmental Agency with a 65.8-percent increase, and the Ministry of
Trade, Industry, and Energy whose budget will grow by 49 percent (Chugan
Maegyong).


S&T budgets within the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), funded
by public and private sources, are shown in the following table (Maeil
Kyongje Sinmun 1 Jan 94).




INSTITUTE                      BUDGET              PERSONNEL
                        (BILLION WON) (MILLION $)      (PHDS)


Korea Institute of Science     67.075      83.84    787  (247)
  and Technology (KIST)
System Engineering Research    28.632      35.79    357   (22)
  Institute (SERI)
Genetic Engineering Research   16.462      20.58    225   (73)
  Institute (GERI)
Research and Development        4.555       5.69     54   ( 1)
 Information Center
S and T Policy Management       7.609       9.51    114   (22)
 Research Institute
Korea Advanced Institute of    78.215      97.77    852  (311)
  S and T (KAIST)
Korea Res Inst of Standards    28.771      35.96    472   (99)
  and Science (KRISS)
National Astronomical           9.920      12.40     89   (12)
  Observatory
Basic Science Support          10.865      13.58     75   ( 9)
  Center
Korea Institute of Machinery   52.723      65.90    574   (95)
  and Metals (KIMM)
Korea Aerospace Research       23.674      29.59    127   (33)
  Institute (KARI)
Korea Institute of Nuclear     21.278      26.60    272   (53)
  Safety
Korea Atomic Energy Research  171.200     214.00  1,625  (211)
  Institute (KAERI)
Hospital for Nuclear           38.938      48.67    842   (38)
  Medicine
Nuclear Environment            72.341      90.43    320   (61)
  Management Center
Korea Institute of Energy      19.396      24.25    347   (83)
  Research (KIER)
Resources Research             29.722      37.15    457  (112)
  Institute
Korea Ocean Research and       27.459      34.32    347   (76)
  Development Inst (KORDI)
Korea Electrotechnology        25.437      31.80    325   (45)
  Research Institute
Korea Research Institute of    27.379      34.22    405  (110)
  Chemical Tech (KRICT)
Korea Science Foundation      103.887     129.86    120   ( 1)
Kwangju Science and            23.970      29.96     --    --
  Technology Institute
TOTAL                         889.511   1,111.87  8,786 (1,714)




Maeil Kyongje Sinmun further reports that in late 1993 most decided that
beginning in March 1994, its institutes will specialize in particular
technologies.  For example, KIST will focus on three-dimensional image
media technology, Human Robot Systems, and Advanced Medical Treatments.


MOST's key technological successes of 1993, published in the 29 December
Chugan Maegyong include:


-- A "robot sculptor" by KIST that can produce likenesses of individual
human faces in 20 minutes; potential applications are in factory
automation;


-- A high-temperature superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)
by KRISS;


-- South Korea's first indigenous earth satellite, the "Out Star 2" by
KAIST;


-- A 1-centimeter x 10-centimeter molten carbonate fuel cell by KIST that
produces 100 watts of power;


-- A substance, GERI-BP001, developed by GERI from a soil mold, that
reduces blood serum cholesterol;


-- Development of the chemical compound HFC-134A as a freon substitute,
by KIST;


-- Precision laser welding equipment, by KAERI;


-- A high-temperature (140k) superconductor developed jointly by The
Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology and Pohang Steel
in high-pressure mercury vapor;


-- Technology by KORDI to produce eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) chemical
compounds from marine microorganisms;


-- Development of technology by KARI used to manufacture a solid-fuel
rocket motor able to lift a 50- to 70-kilogram scientific payload to an
altitude of 80 to 90 kilometers;


-- Rayon developed by KIST that is twice as strong as the existing
material and manufactured without pollutants;


-- Technology developed by KRICT to reduce chemical solvent wastes;


-- Manufacture by KAIST of an ultrahigh-precision (nanometer-scale)
lathe.




SOUTH KOREAN INDUSTRY PLANNING MAJOR DRIVE INTO LCD MARKET


Key points:  South Korea's large electronics firms are investing heavily
in technology and equipment for liquid crystal displays in an effort to
make South Korea more competitive with Japan.  The South Korean
Government expects patent friction to arise as the product line expands.


Hyundai is developing advanced liquid crystal display products through
its US subsidiary, while Samsung benefits from a joint technology
agreement with a Japanese firm.


South Korean electronics companies are investing heavily in thin-film-
transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDS), with a goal of
transforming this into the industry's second highest value-added product
after semiconductors, according to the 5 January Maeil Kyongje Sinmun
(MKS).  The newspaper reports that South Korea's three major producers--
Goldstar Electron, The Samsung Group, and Hyundai Electronics--in their
first three years of work on TFT-LCDS, have already commercialized a
number of high-quality products at the super video graphic array (VGA)
level.


Goldstar plant to invest 500 billion won ($625 million) in new assembly
lines to be completed in May 1995 that will have an annual production of
500,000 3- to 12.3-inch units.  In November Nikkei Microdevices reported
that $400 million of that investment will go toward the production of 10-
inch panels.  MKS meanwhile reports that Goldstar has become the second
company in the world to develop a high-resolution 12.3-inch LCD panel.
MKS and Nikkei report that Goldstar will spend an additional $250 million
by 1997 to raise its annual LCD production capacity to 1 million units.
South Korea plans to invest another 140 billion won ($175 million) in R&D
to improve product quality "beyond that of its Japanese competitors,"
according to MKS.


Nikkei and MKS also report that in 1992 Hyundai began developing 10.4-
inch TFT-LCD color panels at its US research subsidiary, Image Quest
Technology.  It has completed preparations for trial runs at its US pilot
plant and expects to begin production in South Korea by 1995.


According to the 5 January MKS, Samsung, which is already producing small
quantities of TFT-LCDS on a pilot line for use in its own notebook PCs,
is planning to expand its TFT-LCD production, with the ultimate goal of
completely indigenous production.  MKS reports the group will invest 450
billion won (562.5 million) in LCDs in 1994.  The 8 November MKS said
that Samsung Electron Devices, one of the group's subsidiaries, was
investing 300 billion won ($375 million) to increase annual LCD
production by 100 percent to 2 million units by 1994, and to 5 million
units by the year 2000.


-------------


JAPAN


ALFLEX EXPERIMENT


According to a report in Kogiken Nyusu (Sep 93), engineers are using
rapid prototyping techniques to construct wind tunnel models out of
photosetting resin using data generated with three-dimensional computer-
aided design.  Using off-the-shelf technology developed for industrial
robots, NAL has built a six-degree-of-freedom robot with a 150-kilogram
load capacity that functions as a support structure and positioning
system for the wind tunnel test models.  The ALFLEX test model is
attached to the sting at the tip of the robot arm, allowing adjustments
in angle of attack, yaw, and roll.  Variation in the positioning of the
models is less than 0.1 millimeter and variation in the recreation of
positions is 0.5 millimeter.


During the wind tunnel ground effect tests, researchers took 10
measurements of variation in lift and drag after making incremental
changes in the model's altitude relative to a plate simulating the
ground.  In the dynamic test, measurements were made while the model was
being moved continuously from the highest altitude to the lowest altitude
(Kogiken Nyusu Sep 93; National Aerospace Laboratory 1993-1994 OCT 93).


--------------------------END OF REPORT-------------------------