The super-computer project: a case study of the interaction of science,government and industry in the UK

A major concern of the governments of industrialised nations is the basis for the allocation of public resources to the private sector of industry. One particular area of debate is the role governments should play in the support and direction of high technology. This paper examines the contribution of the British government to the establishment of a computer industry and, in particular, the attempts to stimulate the industry during the period 1959 to 1962 by supporting the development and production of a ‘supercomputer’.The history of the negotiations between the three major participants, the National Research and Development Corporation, Ferranti Ltd., and Manchester University, has been reconstructed in considerable detail in order to provide the basis for an analysis of the interaction of technical, financial, organisational and political constraints in the attempts to establish the project'.The failure of NRDC to achieve its broad aims of promoting the future health of the computer industry is traced to three major problems — their failure to formulate clear objectives, their concern to maintain technical control, and inadequate policies for risk-sharing. These were exacerbated by the technical uncertainty associated with novel technology, an inadequate market analysis by Ferranti, and de facto technical direction by the university department.On this basis broad conclusions are drawn on the conditions necessary for a satisfactory return on public investment in high technology.