6207.1:
Nanotechnology Roadmapping – A management instrument to align business decisions with nanoscience trends
Abstract
Today, technology-based companies are facing ever reducing innovationcycles, which is not without consequences. This means that:
· The development of new technologies has to be monitored constantly
· Application fields of technologies have to be recognized and evaluated in an early stage
· Technological knowledge has to be converted quickly into applicable products, processes and services
· Changing circumstances often require a quick and reliable control of technology
Often companies show big difficulties with some or all of these issues. This is especially true for the nanotechnology in Switzerland. A large part of the Swiss economy seems to not exactly know how to exploit the possibilities of this new technology.
Our first project (KTI 5049.1) was tackling the first two of the above issues. The project delivered a methodology called "Innovationcheck Nanotechnology" which supports companies to identify, monitor, and evaluate the most promising fields within nanotechnology for their business, and thereby allows a timely and effective entry into nanotechnology.
The follow-up project presented here will tackle the last two of the above issues. It aims at delivering a management instrument – ”Nanotechnology Roadmapping” – that supports companies to align all kind of business decisions (markets, products, complementary technologies, locations, financials, humans, alliances, etc.) with nanotechnology trends. The intention is to most effectively and efficiently introduce nanotechnology in products, processes and services as well as to control this technology introduction and thereby increase overall innovativeness
”Nanotechnology Roadmapping” should be understood as a useful and necessary completion of the ”Innovationcheck Nanotechnology”.