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Research paper : Study on the PAN carbon-fiber-innovation for modeling a successful R&D management (O. Nakamura et al.)−161−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.2 (2009) Needless to say, there is no argument against the continued research to improve performance (or check that there is no material that surpasses the current material) by the original researchers and joint researchers. The corporate researcher tries to accumulate peripheral data in R&D considering corporate profit. However, in this case, not all data are publicized. Patent filing for intellectual property is done actively. However, there is a mixture of patents of “the main product” and “everything else.” It is necessary to be aware that this is part of the corporate activity. The “everything else” products serve as a smoke screen against competitors, and they may also become barter items when buying and selling the technology.What is important here is that “technological transfer” is not singular or uniform, but is done by absorbing the background situation. In some cases, the later generations may focus only on the success stories, and the readers must be careful when reading them. What we wish to point out here is the fact that only the best product (in this case PAN) survives with the support of a great quantity of latent research results because there are many competitors and people involved. Researchers of national institutions may be deeply involved in this development.Lester and Piore propose the “sheltered space” model, because for producing innovation, “if the researchers are given a place where they can engage freely in interpretive effort, the autonomy of the researchers will bring about new development”[12]. On the other hand, the “space” at GIRIO was a gathering of industrial researchers with clear technical demand, but it was of private interactions with the Shindo group rather than a place of exchange among the researchers. However, the space for interaction for improving the international industrial competitiveness around the Shindo group including the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Agency for Industrial Science and Technology, and the Japan Carbon Manufacturers Association were open. The authors think that, rather than a “sheltered space” which is a static space, the complex of the interactive space and the Shindo group at GIRIO functioned as a “dynamic space” where the R&D and management mutually interacted in synch.4 ConclusionWe investigated the process of innovation in detail taking PAN carbon fiber as an example. The development from invention to product realization, though staged in a background that is vastly different from now, is thought provoking for today’s researchers.From the information on carbon fiber development coincidentally learned from the daily information gathering, the researcher considered its industrial use from the beginning, selected themes with clear objectives, searched for the experiment method, and engaged in research. The procedures for timely patent obtainment went smoothly and patent application was accepted. The dramatic progress that followed started with the information that the demand of industry for carbon fiber material was mainly for mechanical strength. The direction of research was shifted, and collaborative and cooperative research was done with industry to optimize the material property, study compositing with plastic, and achieve practical application as CFRP composite material. Even more important was the effort on standardization of measurement of mechanical strength to guarantee the reliability of the product, and this contributed greatly to solidify the foundation of industrial use of carbon fiber. Also, the steady accumulation of research results that might never see the light conducted in the incubation period before the product set out into society including daily information exchange with GIRIO induced new awareness, and this led to joint research. This brought about industrial Fig. 5 “Excited oscillation model” of innovation. management powerAccelerationCreation ofcompositematerialCreation of carbon fiberSerendipityProductrealizationCuriosity is led to industrial innovationIncreasedresearchbudget (MindTechnologicaltransfer, creation)of marketResearch autonomy and social mission are united without discrepancyWork(public research theme)Type 2 BasicResearchMotivation(curiosity)ManagementChange in methodEmphasis of intellectualproperty strategy(Excited oscillation)Direction of new themeand funding support(Excited oscillation)Leadership in JIS and ISO establishmentType 1 BasicResearch

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