Abstract
Any organisation wishing to gain international acceptance for a new, technically advanced material has very considerable obstacles to surmount
It is not enough to have shown that there is a broad and exciting range of potential applications of a new idea; even where the process route has been established and the product proved in exhaustive trials, the innovator still has a formidable task ahead.
The introduction of strong polymeric grid materials for long-term applications in civil engineering and general construction provides a typical example of the hard road that must be travelled to reach success.
A case history demonstrates some of the ways in which the difficulties can be overcome by a major cooperation between a British company and the research capabilities of five British universities.
The research and development of the material was vigorously supported by the Department of Trade and Industry Requirements Boards, the Science and Engineering Research Council, the Polymer Engineering Directorate and the Teaching Company Scheme, and their role in the innovative process is shown.
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