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E. Tempelmann, N. Adamovic:
"Experiences from recent European research projects on the interplay between technology and design";
Talk: R&D Management Conference 2015, Pisa, Italy; 06-23-2015 - 06-26-2015; in: "R&D Management Conference 2015", (2015), 1 - 7.

Materials and design are both regarded as major sources of innovation that normally work
independently: materials R&D generally works without specific end users in mind, while product
design applies existing materials only. The question can however be raised if by cooperating, both
sides could not gain advantages in terms of faster development, better products, or both. Two EUfunded
research projects, conceived in 2012 and currently running, explore this concept of "designdriven
materials innovation" (DDMI): these are the Solar Design project and the
Light.Touch.Matters project, see www.solardesign.eu and www.light-touch-matters-project.eu. This
contribution presents the scope and aims of both projects, and discusses the first lessons to learn
with respect to innovation theory. Apart from expected barriers in terms of cultural barriers and
different timeframes for measuring progress, DDMI practice shows that in particular the
management of expectations is a key challenge, and that terms such as "material properties" or even
"material samples" can easily cause severe misunderstandings. Good consortium composition and
balancing appears as yet another driver for success.

Materials and design are both regarded as major sources of innovation that normally work
independently: materials R&D generally works without specific end users in mind, while product
design applies existing materials only. The question can however be raised if by cooperating, both
sides could not gain advantages in terms of faster development, better products, or both. Two EUfunded
research projects, conceived in 2012 and currently running, explore this concept of "designdriven
materials innovation" (DDMI): these are the Solar Design project and the
Light.Touch.Matters project, see www.solardesign.eu and www.light-touch-matters-project.eu. This
contribution presents the scope and aims of both projects, and discusses the first lessons to learn
with respect to innovation theory. Apart from expected barriers in terms of cultural barriers and
different timeframes for measuring progress, DDMI practice shows that in particular the
management of expectations is a key challenge, and that terms such as "material properties" or even
"material samples" can easily cause severe misunderstandings. Good consortium composition and
balancing appears as yet another driver for success.