20160320-世界经济论坛-Advanced_Materials_Systems_Chemistry_and_Advanced_Materials_32页_2mb

Advanced Materials Systems for Collaborative Innovation Summary

Background

The global chemical industry faces challenges like population growth, resource scarcity, and rapid innovation cycles. The Advanced Materials Systems (AMS) framework provides a collaborative approach to innovation, focusing on systems-level design with existing materials and advanced technologies to address global megatrends such as sustainability and efficiency. This summary highlights key elements, challenges, recommendations, and case studies from the report.

Industry Challenges

• Global Pressures: Increasing demand for energy, water, healthcare, and sustainability constraints due to population growth.
• Traditional Models: Outdated R&D pipelines lead to long development cycles, high costs, and misalignment with market needs.
• Economic Volatility: Feedstock price fluctuations pressure profitability and influence resource use.
• Talent and Collaboration: Ageing workforce, skills gaps in math/technology, and barriers to forming effective partnerships hinder innovation.

The AMS Framework

• Core Elements: Combines material science, process technologies (e.g., Additive Manufacturing), digital tools, and collaborative business models to create functional solutions.
• Benefits:
  • Accelerated innovation cycles (e.g., reducing R&D time from 10–20 years to 4–6 years).
  • Enhanced sustainability: Reduces resource use; enables circular economy models.
  • Market opportunities: Addresses unmet needs like personalized healthcare or lightweight materials for mobility.
• Key Principles: Shifts from "new materials" to "system solutions," prioritizing end-user needs and ecosystem engagement.

Case Study Highlights

• Agriculture: Monsanto's Climate FieldView™ uses data analytics to optimize farming, improving yields and reducing waste.
• Building: Arup and GXN's BioBuild project applies biocomposites for sustainable façades in urban construction.
• Electronics: Royal DSM's halogen-free plastics support eco-friendly manufacturing and device recycling.
• Energy: Johnson Controls' distributed energy storage systems reduce costs and enable smart grid integration.
• Healthcare: Organovo's bioprinting innovates drug testing models, saving R&D costs and accelerating treatments.

Challenges and Recommendations

Obstacles

1. Internal Culture: Resistance to change due to legacy systems; need for change agents and cultural transformation.
2. Value Capture: Traditional IP focus limits collaboration; need for innovative differentiation strategies.
3. Skills Shortage: Ageing workforce and lack of STEM skills; negative sector perception.
4. Collaboration Management: Misaligned partnerships and evolving market dynamics create risks.

Recommendations

1. Integrate End-User Needs: Engage directly with customers to drive innovation aligned with market demands.
2. Build Innovation Platforms: Create collaborative ecosystems with stakeholders, leveraging digital tools for faster prototyping.
3. Expand Access to Materials Data: Develop internal databases and partner with national initiatives like the Materials Genome Initiative.
4. Adopt Open Innovation Models: Use partnerships, crowdsourcing, and flexible IP to share resources and mitigate risks.
5. Tackle Talent Issues: Recruit diverse skills (young talent with social impact focus) and invest in training programs.

Conclusions

AMS enables sustainable growth by fostering collaboration, accelerating development, and creating systems-level solutions. Companies that prioritize talent, partnerships, and value capture will better navigate industry challenges, gaining a competitive edge and contributing to societal advancements. Further research should explore policy support, global partnerships, and impact assessment on innovation lifecycles.