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Inventions are not the outcome but the starting point
I’ve been involved in many high-tech innovation cases, at different stages and in different roles. In some cases, I was present when the idea was still on the drawing board, in others when project proposals or subsidy applications were being drafted, and in yet others when the program, project, startup or spinoff was getting off the ground. I’ve seen successes, but unfortunately, in my experience only a limited amount of innovative ideas or technical inventions actually make it – by which I mean that controlled and cost-effective production is possible, customers pay for the product, money is earned, profit is made and (new) jobs are created.
You’d be surprised how many developers of great new technologies either have no plan at all, or if they do, a poor one. Having a plan doesn’t guarantee that there’s a business case (economic or social) underneath. Often, this is the kind of plan in which the technology or the invention dominates, and the rest is forgotten or underexposed.
Many inventors seem to think: my technology is superior and everybody wants it. They often get disappointed. Sometimes the essential competencies and partnerships, not only for engineering and production but also for after-sales services, maintenance, repair and recycling, aren’t properly considered. People sometimes tend to think they can do everything themselves.