Overseas Trends

A Survey of China’s Research Trends in Micro / Nanosystems
apparent that China, Taiwan, South Korea, and other
Asian countries recognize the high quality andsubstantial accomplishments Japan has made in MEMS
industrialization through collaboration amongindustry, government, and academia.
• Overall picture of research trends in China• Trends in MEMS-related research•Total number of groups conducting MEMS-related
research: 140 (researchers: 3,000)•Groups focusing on MEMS research: 50 (researchers:1,452)•North China: Tsinghua University, Peking University, CAS,and CETC (13 locations)•East China: SIMIT, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University•Northeast China: Dalian University of Technology, andHarbin Institute of Technology•Other regions: Chongqing University, Xi’an Jiaotong
University, and ChinaUniversity of Technology•Micro and nano fields are a focus in long-term
strategies for R&D in 2006-2020•Trends in Industrialization•MEMS commercialization has begun in Beijing, Shenyang,Taiyuan, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Chongqing, and others•There is no movement at present to establish a system forsupporting industrialization•Sino-American research collaboration•The NSF is playing a central role in promoting SinoAmerican research collaboration•Office established in Beijing (May 2006)•NSF invests in U.S.-China program•Approximately 150 projects underway•15 million U.S. dollars invested (not including investmentsin collaborative research)

We conducted a survey on Chinese research trends inmicro- and nanosystems by attending the International
Conference on Integration and Commercialization of Micro andNanosystems (Micro/Nano China 2007) held in Sanya, China onJanuary 10-13, 2007. The conference was co-organized by theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and theChinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES). This
academic conference on the integration of nanosystems has
been held by the ASME Nanotechnology Institute in the UnitedStates since 2001. This year for the first time the conference
was held outside of the United States–in Sanya, China–and wascosponsored by ASME with CMES and MANCEF. In addition tothe cosponsorship by mechanical engineering societies fromboth countries, the conference was likely held in China becauseof the increased activity in MEMS-related R&D in China and thefocus on Chinese MEMS researchers active in America.
We participated in this conference at the request of ouroverseas affiliate in MEMS conferences, MANCEF, to present
the state of Japan’s MEMS development and industrialization asa guest speaker, but we also participated with the following
objectives.
• To study trends in MEMS R&D and industrializationin China, where such R&D has become more active
in recent years and will likely influence Japan’s
MEMS industry in the future• To study the condition of Sino-American researchcollaboration
The conference was held in the relatively new resort ofSanya, located at the southern tip of Hainan Island.
Presentations given at the conference consisted of 108 oral and260 poster presentations. Tables 1 and 2 below give a
breakdown of the topics in the oral and poster sessions and thecountries that participated in each.

China is strengthening cooperation with Chinese
researchers residing in the United States. There is potential in
China for immense improvements in research sophisticationand for advances in industrialization in macro and nano fields
and, hence, the situation should be continually monitored.

The following information was obtained based on thecontent of presentations and discourse at the conference.
• Based on the oral presentations and the exchange of
information among participants at the conference, it isTotal no.
ChinaTaiwanUSA&CanadaEuropeJapan
Korea
AustraliaIndiaSingapore
China / USA
China / Europe
China /Japan

Oral presentations
10845833843200311

Keynote speeches
102142Industrialization
14174
1

MEMS / NEMS
311458
1

Energy transfer
125141

Processes andmicrofabrication

15
7061
1

Micro/nano fluids
61
2

Micro/nano mechanics Measurement and Control
6142
13
12

1
111

1112
11

Table 1 Analysis of Oral Presentations by Topic and Country
Total no.
China
TaiwanUSA&CanadaEuropeJapan
Korea
Australia
India
Singapore
China / USA
China / Europe
China /JapanPosters
260189628856181611Systems
35
24
7
1111Devices
67
52531112

Energy transfer
31
22

Processes and microfabrication
8362

Micro / nano fluids
23
13881136213111241
1

Table 2 Analysis of Poster Presentations by Topic and Country

7

Micro / nano mechanics
21
1612