Cutting-edge technology

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing belief that materials constitute a generic technology of revolutionary significance, ranking alongside information techno- logy and biotechnology. Our main aim is to examine the plausibility of this claim. In so doing we indicate what is distinctive about changes i n materials science and technology, and report on recent forecasts of potential change. Our second aim is briefly to discuss corporate and public policy on materials innovation i n a number of advanced countries. We present some preliminary jindings from interviews conducted with prominent UK materials producers and users. We conclude that there have been some important incremental and radical innovations i n materials technology. But because the diffusion of innovative materials and processes into different industry sectors and products has been uneven, i n terns of their current and likely future impact on the economy as a whole these changes cannot yet be described as revolutionary. The future impact of materials technology will depend not just on the materials innovation strategies of companies and governments, but on their ability to overcome users' conservatism and to convince them of the design and quality improvements that are possible.