While progress in the microelectronics industry is gated by the frontiers of high technology and its underlying science, competitiveness in this industry is determined at least as much by how effectively the relevant science and engineering are integrated to address those issues central to manufacturing. Competitive manufacturing places a premium on such factors as rapid learning in technology development and yield enhancement, process and factory control, minimization of capital costs, and equipment and product reliability, all factors which synthesize the individual science and engineering elements associated with microelectronics technology. This paper is a primer for research aimed at impacting microelectronics manufacturing science and technology. After presenting an overview of competitiveness requirements for manufacturing, it focuses on strategic elements: advanced process equipment, process/materials characterization and real time process control, defect identification/control and reliability, three‐dimensional processing and manufacturability, and process integration.