Innovation begins when an invention creates value
Scientific institutions generate new discoveries, technologies, materials, methods, and software every day. Some lead to publications and patents, yet relatively few are adopted outside the laboratory.
This is because invention and innovation are not the same.
An invention is something new: a molecule, device, material, process, algorithm, or scientific method that did not previously exist.
An innovation is an invention, or a new application of existing knowledge, that is successfully implemented and creates value for its users, customers, organizations, or society.
A technology does not therefore become an innovation simply because it is scientifically novel, patented, or technically functional. It becomes an innovation when someone outside the research team adopts it to solve a meaningful problem or address an unmet need.
Scientific novelty is only the starting point
In academic research, the word innovative often refers to an original contribution to scientific knowledge.
- Is the technology new?
- Does it work under laboratory conditions?
- Can it be protected?
In commercialization, innovation has a broader meaning.
- Does it solve an important problem?
- Who needs the solution?
- Is it significantly better than existing alternatives?
- Can it work reliably in real operating conditions?
- Can it be produced, delivered, and supported at an acceptable cost?
- Will customers, users, partners, or public institutions adopt it?
Commercialisation turns scientific novelty into practical value. This requires researchers to look beyond the technology itself and understand the system in which it will be used.
Different types of innovation
Innovation can take several forms. Understanding them helps research teams identify what is genuinely new and where value may be created.
| Product and service innovation | A new or substantially improved product or service offered to users or customers. Examples include a medical device, diagnostic platform, advanced material, research instrument, digital service, or therapeutic solution. |
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Process innovation |
A new or improved method of producing, delivering, operating, or supporting a product or service. A technology may create value by reducing production time, energy consumption, material use, waste, error rates, or operating costs, even when the final product remains largely unchanged. |
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Incremental and radical innovation |
Incremental innovation improves an existing solution, for example by making it faster, safer, cheaper, more precise, or easier to use. Radical innovation introduces a substantially different scientific or technological approach. Deep-tech solutions frequently belong to this category as they are based on scientific advances, require significant technical development, and may take considerable time to validate and scale. Radical does not automatically mean commercially valuable. A smaller improvement addressing an urgent customer need may create more value than a major scientific breakthrough without a clear application. |
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Sustaining and disruptive innovation |
Sustaining innovation improves the performance of solutions already offered in an established market. Disruptive innovation changes how value is created or delivered, often by making a solution accessible to new users or enabling applications that established providers do not initially serve. Not every breakthrough technology is disruptive. Disruption depends on how the market develops and how customers adopt the solution, not only on the novelty of the underlying science. |
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Business model innovation |
Innovation may also concern the way a technology reaches the market and generates value. A research team may:
The same technology can have very different commercial potential depending on the selected business model. |
What turns a technology into an innovation?
Four conditions usually need to be addressed simultaneously.
1. Novelty
The solution must offer something meaningfully new. Not only in comparison with scientific publications, but also in comparison with products, technologies, workflows, and alternatives already available to users.
2. Adoption
A defined user, customer, organization, or partner must be willing and able to use the solution. Adoption is stronger evidence of innovation than expressions of general interest.
Depending on the market, evidence may include:
- testing by an external organization;
- a pilot project;
- a letter of intent;
- a paid feasibility study;
- a development agreement;
- a license;
- a purchase or procurement decision.
3. Readiness for real-world application
A technology that works in a controlled laboratory environment may still require substantial development before it can operate reliably in practice.
The team may need to address:
- repeatability and performance;
- manufacturability and scale-up;
- integration with existing systems;
- regulatory and certification requirements;
- usability and workflow compatibility;
- quality assurance, maintenance, and technical support.
The transition from a prototype to a dependable solution is often one of the most demanding stages of commercialization.
4. Scalable value creation and capture
The innovation must create sufficient value for its users while allowing the research organization, inventors, licensee, or spin-off to capture part of that value.
Value can be protected and captured through:
- patents and other intellectual property rights;
- specialized know-how;
- proprietary data;
- technical complexity;
- regulatory approvals;
- manufacturing capabilities;
- exclusive partnerships;
- customer relationships and switching costs.
It is important to note that protection must cover the solution that will actually be developed, produced, and offered to the market; a patent alone is not sufficient.
