Technical driven Innovation

1. Pillar Technical driven Innovation

Dr. Klaus Rischka (Fraunhofer) has partnered with colleagues at Frankfurt University Hospital, the Center of Biotechnical Engineering BitZ at Darmstadt University of Technology, the State Materials Testing Institute MPA and the implant manufacturer Straumann in Freiburg.
Innovation in a cross-divers team of researchers.
http://ts-si.org/content/view/2775/992/

The Fraunhofer IFAM is one of 80 research establishments within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG). It is a leading independent organization for applied research in Europe.

A research team has developed a new approach based on the mussels' ability to stick on any surface, be it porous rock or the smooth hull of a ship. Over the course of evolution, these mollusks have developed a special glue that not only works under water, but is also a particularly firm and lasting bonding agent. Moreover, the mussel adhesive is relatively well tolerated by the human body.

It sounds risky at first: implants such as artificial heart valves and vessels are to be welded to the body’s own tissue using a special glue, a synthetic version of a mussel gland's secretion. This will eliminate the need for bothersome sutures. The bond will rapidly harden under ultraviolet (UV) light, so that only 30 seconds later, the foreign object is firmly implanted in the patient’s body.

The core process of technology-driven innovation has two very different facets:

A: For companies that apply science and technology to the creation of progressively more advanced technology-based products, exposing and understanding the inherent possibilities in science is essential to innovation.

B: For companies in services and distribution, technology-driven means something much different; it generally means applying technologies developed by others to create a competitive advantage in operations. Here, innovation is a collaborative effort between supplier and user. (http://www.permanentinnovation.com/)