AbstractThe conscious, planned inclusion of science into the process of social reproduction is a very complex matter, requiring not only a theoretical understanding of the social role of science but also the mastery of adequate practical means of science planning and management. A model of the cycle ‘Science‐Technology‐Production’ is presented which explicates the link between basic science and economic production as the outcome of four phases, each of which is relatively isolated from the others. The history of the development of the transistor is analysed on this basis, and it is shown how the overall process has to be seen on a much longer timescale than popular descriptions would have it. The coupling between phases is of particular interest, and two critical points are identified: the transition from a general to a specific theory of certain phenomena, and that from the basic experimental solution to production‐technological development. The model demonstrates the inadequacy, for understanding and managing the overall cycle, of focusing solely on the technological