INNOVATION AND NANO-TECHONOLOGY

RESISTING CHANGE  Good idea, but lets’s first finish the task at hand.  Good, but why don’t you come up with sufficient details.  This was tried earlier, but was dropped.  Top leadership is not too inclined.

PROMOTING BOTTOMS UP INNOVATION  How do we create the conditions for success, yet allow space for failure?  How do we inculcate the discipline of questioning minds while keeping people within ranks/ bdys?  How to maximise individual creativity and potential w/o sacrificing systems efficiency and effectiveness?  How do we eradicate the culture of celebrating mediocrity while retaining enthusiasm?  How do we move fast to add greater value?

CK PRAHALAD ON NEXT PRACTICES “Shift focus from best practices to new opportunities, imagining of the future and inventing new practices to turn into market leaders”.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & GLOBAL BALANCE OF POWER Geo-Politics Geo-Economics – logic of conflict to the grammar of commerce (Edward Luttwak) Geo-Technology – A Catalyst for both - Nano-technology – increasing the power - Rate of Change which is ever accelerating - crates a sense of urgency about its implication.

NANO-TECHNOLOGY  Restructure matter, produce materials through manipulation and self assembly of components at the nanometric scale.  Driving significant advances in material, devices and systems, sciences, medicines and warfare on account of new properties and functions.  Raises the question about what our future will be like?

NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATION Molecular manufacturing will bring a revolution in military affairs…………... It is unwise to be on the wrong side of a such a technology (K Eric Drexler) Nano Technology Expert

Surviving dynamic and disruptive 21 st Century landscape not only requires geo- political insight and geo economic knowledge but also geo-technical innovation and strategy.

BARRIERS IN COMMERCIALIZATION OF NANO-TECHNOLOGY  Incentives for R&D.  Specifying manufacturing standards.  Law, Policies and Governance.  Social values, public opinion and politics.  Infrastructure – few support centre.  Cost and financing – yet to be convincing.  Education and literacy – for achieving economic.  Weak industry academia activity link. OVERALL AVERSION TO RISK AND UNWILLINGNESS TO EXPLORE BEYOND LOW HANGING FRUIT