Fusion — Disciplines — Science — 2015–16
2015–16 Scientific Focus
Clean Water Technology
Global demand for clean water technology is at an all-time high, and the Great Lakes region holds hundreds of researchers and companies working to meet it. It is also a field where one invention can address radically different applications — which turns out to be a commercialization problem, not a gift.
Interdisciplinary teams worked in parallel to cultivate product designs around a portfolio of clean water technologies developed by leading research labs, with each concept developed and evaluated for product application, intellectual property development, and a viable business case.
Teams worked with technologies developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center, the Department of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University, and at least one local start-up. Partnering with regional players including the Cleveland Water Alliance and other industry experts, the faculty exposed students to the landscape of a market exceeding half a trillion dollars that is actively demanding technological solutions.
Product design and innovation
Because clean water technology is an extremely broad field, a single innovation can often address numerous applications. Teams therefore had to develop needs analyses, acceptance criteria, and systems requirements for the specific products they believed their invention enabled — considering value propositions from several angles including end users, governmental authorities, and international non-governmental actors.
Integration and systems
Notwithstanding the world-class research behind them, few innovations are embodied in a fully integrated product. Commercializing technology-based products requires a creative focus on value chain, component development, and interdisciplinary design.
Proof of concept under variable regulation
Regulatory requirements for the same technology may vary enormously between market applications. Teams developed path-to-market strategies capable of accommodating vastly different regulatory regimes, driven by the distinct applications and settings they identified.