How can new instruments be brought to market?

The analysis of current information and knowledge sharing in the BC industry (chapter 3) concluded that next generation instruments should promote, amongst others, an improved market acceptance. Current PDT research lacks adoption, which is needed if BC as a whole should be able to use the new instrumentation.

Of critical importance to market adoption is support of new instruments by the software vendors, as they will be the most direct link to BC companies.

If a new, more dynamic, way of working is to fully take root in BC, the social and juridical and instrumentational all have to be in place. The stronger and more attractive each part is, the higher the success chances for the whole. A possible scenario is that the social and juridical aspects are in place and that the instrumentation is more or less forced upon BC. This does not seem like an attractive or safe scenario.

Instead of juridically forcing a new instrumentation, a more desirable scenario occurs when the instrumentation is--economically--attractive in its own right. This attractiveness should be aimed for, to improve the chances for new, dynamic BC. Additionally, economic attractiveness probably is a better incentive for software vendor support.

When designing the new instruments, the desired market acceptance must be kept in mind. The important question is what advantages are available for software vendors: they are the ones that have to create the instrumentation for a dynamic BC.

Reinout van Rees 2006-12-13