The emergence of supply networks for technological innovation: Modelling strategy and policy implications

Project aim

Public policy and corporate strategy play a key role to de-risk the innovation process. This research aims to develop an agent-based model to support the design and evaluation of policy and strategy to facilitate the development of domestic supply chains for emerging technology in the high-value manufacturing sector.

Project background

Innovation is a key driver of economic growth. However, it is estimated that four in five innovations fail to get commercialised. To address this challenge, the role of research institutions has been emphasised to facilitate the translation of research into commercial applications. However, emerging technology lacks the supply chain infrastructure to feed the deployment, operation, and maintenance of these operations.

Despite industry-academia-government combined efforts to develop advanced materials and manufacturing processes, without a supply chain to support it, there is no business case – unless organisations are prepared to make capital investment and manufacture in-house.

While innovation is often associated with end products, less explored is the development of an upstream supply market of ancillary products and manufacturing services to enable technological innovations to succeed. The challenge lies in the amplified uncertainties faced by upstream actors in the supply chain with regards to both technological and non-technological issues.