From Scientific Discovery to Rapid Market Uptake
At Ophiolite, research and innovation are distinct but connected—research expands scientific knowledge, while innovation applies it to create scalable, market-ready solutions.
Many organizations struggle to bridge the gap between them. The European Investment Bank calls this the scale-up gap, where promising technologies fail to reach the market due to poor resource use, weak business models, or limited market engagement.
However, focusing on innovation alone is not enough.
Furseth and Cuthbertson (2018) note that companies often invest in innovation capacity—like staff and equipment—while neglecting innovation ability: the skills to design new business models, improve customer experience, and build sustainable systems. Without this balance, innovation efforts often fall short.
Exploitation Framework
Ophiolite employs it's structured Exploitation Framework designed to integrate research findings into market-ready innovations.
This framework provides a structured methodology for scaling new technologies, aligning resource allocation for Innovation with commercialization needs, and ensuring that innovations transition effectively from pilot testing to full-scale deployment. It is built on three fundamental PILLARS that guide the transition from early-stage development to market adoption to secure a rapid market uptake of the innovation.
The first pillar focuses on leveraging first-mover advantage by ensuring that business model development is integrated into the early research phase. This approach enables early positioning in the market and secures competitive leadership before competitors introduce similar solutions. Establishing key industry partnerships and stakeholder engagement through open innovation early in the process is essential to building momentum for future adoption by early adopters in the market​.
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The second pillar emphasizes maximizing the rate of technology diffusion, ensuring that innovations do not stagnate in small-scale testing but reach widespread adoption. A structured diffusion strategy targets early adopters and industry leaders in the market, integrating pilot projects and real-world demonstration programs to validate new technologies in operational environments. Engaging with industry stakeholders, providing tangible proof of performance, and facilitating knowledge transfer accelerate the process of transitioning from niche adoption among early adopters to widespread adoption in the market.​
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The third pillar centers on developing sustainable business models that ensure long-term success. A business model can only be sustainable over time if it provides and added value to all relevant stakeholders at the same time, including customers, suppliers, investors, and the broader society. By continuously assessing market fit, aligning financial structures with long-term sustainability goals, and refining commercialization strategies, the business model remains sustaniable and adaptable to evolving industry needs.
Strategic Innovation Models
Ophiolite applies three strategic models that structure the innovation, exploitation and commercialization process.
SUBM
The Scale-Up Bridge Methodology (SUBM) is designed to help organizations move from pilot-scale innovation to full industrial deployment.
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By conducting technology readiness assessments, engaging early adopters in the market, and securing structured investment strategies, this model reduces the risks associated with scaling up.
DAM
The Diffusion Acceleration Model (DAM) ensures that innovations are adopted rapidly by the market. Early adopters play a crucial role in technology acceptance, and this model facilitates engagement with key industry players, develops incentive programs for early adopteres, and establishes partnerships that accelerate diffusion.
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By ensuring that technologies are not only technically viable but also positioned for rapid market uptake, this model strengthens market penetration strategies.
BMRI
The Business Model Readiness Indicator (BMRI) evaluates whether an innovation’s business model is fully developed for commercialization and sustainable over time. This model assesses key components such as value proposition, cost structure, revenue models, and stakeholder engagement.
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By continuously refining the business model based on market feedback and ensuring alignment with sustainability principles, this model ensures that commercialization efforts are both financially viable and scalable over time.
Methodology
By integrating research with structured innovation strategies, Ophiolite ensures that technological breakthroughs do not remain theoretical concepts but evolve into scalable, commercially successful solutions. Through a balanced allocation of resources between research and innovation activities, companies can avoid the pitfalls of excessive research investment without a clear commercialization strategy.
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The exploitation framework provides a structured approach to overcoming the scale-up gap, ensuring that promising technologies transition seamlessly from research to industry adoption.
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Innovation success depends on more than just scientific discoveries; it requires a structured, strategic, and market-driven approach. The ability to de-risk the scale up phase, to secure rapid market adoption, and to develop sustainable business models that adds value to all relevant stakeholders, determines whether an innovation will succeed in the long term or not.
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Ophiolite’s methodology ensures that investments in research are effectively translated into innovations that create tangible market impact, ultimately contributing to sustainable growth and industrial transformation.