I have already referred to Dr. V.C.S. Prasad twice on this blog. He figures again in today's post. His understanding of matters is very useful to all of us in moving our inventions ( new products) to innovations (new processes in the organization that incorporate the products).
He explains the difference between Core Product and the Whole Product using the example of a water filter. (In some circles 'water filter research' refers to research that may have scientific value but no practical value.)
A scientist gets a grant to design a new and cheap water filter that will filter not only the impurities that other filters do but also some harmful chemicals. He succeeds and a model is ready. To continue the research he asks for a further grant.
The funding agency has some questions. What steps is he taking to manufacture the containers for the water filter and the filtering substance? Are the chemicals necessary for the filtering substance easily available in the market? Does he have a business plan? Can he find some one to invest in the manufacture? How is he going to market the product? Has he done a market survey to find out if there is acceptability for his product?
The agency is accepting that there is a Core Product. It wants the Whole Product. Unless that is ready it considers its money wasted.
The scientist applies to a different agency to continue his research to find out how to filter out arsenic.
Dr. Prasad points out that most of us scientists owe our allegiance to our specialization rather than to an organization, be it a company, a funding agency, or the society that supports us.
Prof. P. Balaram (Director, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) said in his recent 10-th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture at IIIT-H that academic research is of unspecified utility whereas applied research has clear goals that need to be met. In Dr. Prasad's terminology one could say that academic research is satisfied with the Core Product whereas applied research seeks the Whole Product.
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Can't agree more with the premise of the argument.
ReplyDeleteA vast majority of engineers are infact just "scientists" in this context. Getting a job being equivalent to getting a grant!
This idea of "grasping the whole product" is a big differentiator of engineers who do well in a startup versus a big company.
Engineers who attempt to "sell" product for tangible gain - I find either money or user adoption being good measures of tangible - learn this lesson very quickly.