For Industry and Investors

From our research and analysis, we recommend advanced materials ventures manage uncertainties by balancing resource allocation between the pursuit of large opportunities and the pursuit of near-term revenue generation. We find that advanced materials ventures are most likely to achieve success if they develop an IP claim on a long-term, emerging market application with major potential while focusing most of their time and resources on substitution applications. Prioritizing market applications in this way could be guided by viability analysis and by assessing the complementary assets of interested potential alliance partners.

Maine, E. and Garnsey, E. (2006), "Commercializing Advanced Materials Technology," IUMRS Facets, 5(3), 19-22. (Download Document)

Maine, E. and Garnsey, E., "Challenges Facing New Firms Commercializing
Nanomaterials," Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on the
Commercialization of Micro and Nano Systems, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,
August 29-Sept 2, 2004. (Download PDF)

Maine, E.M.A. and Ashby, M.F. (2002), "An Investment Methodology for Materials (IMM)." IUMRS Facets, 1(4) (Download PDF)

"Succeeding With new Materials"

New materials enable new, innovative, systems and products, and for these reasons attract investment from government, industry and individuals. But the investment in research, development of processing, and commercialisation of a new material are large, and the return on capital uncertain both in timing and magnitude, discouraging innovation. IMM is a strategy for increasing the knowledge-base on which investment decisions are taken, guiding both research and development and commercialisation of a materials innovation.

Innovators Advanced Materials DVD