If you are an engineer with a great idea and if you have the wish to develop this idea to a great business opportunity, this thesis might be for you. Also, this work can help, if you like to develop a new business and profit center within your company as intrapreneurship task or if you need to develop a new business unit, because it summarizes basic, essential and modern business tools to start your business with.
The starting point in my case is an excellent multi-million diamond technology which business shall be diversified. A sustainable business unit and profit center within Fraunhofer in East Lansing and Michigan State University as non-profit organizations shall be established. Starting from an idea generation by using mind-maps the identified ideas will be successively analyzed and developed to business opportunities till a business plan in form of a lean business plan canvas is designed.
This work also considers challenges a medical device development typical faces. Market research was applied and typical market research phases and their activities are explained. Modern business approaches are introduced and motivate to fresh up the way engineering research is currently done.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Research design & methodology
4. Findings / results
5. Analysis, discussion, interpretation
6. Conclusions
7. Recommendations
8. Bibliography & References
Objectives and Core Topics
This work aims to develop a sustainable business model for a new business unit focused on diamond technology applications within Fraunhofer and Michigan State University. The research seeks to transform promising engineering research into commercially viable products through a translational approach, utilizing modern business tools to identify and evaluate market opportunities in the biomedical sector.
- Application of strategic management tools (SWOT, PESTLE, BCG) to diamond technology.
- Implementation of the Stanford Design Thinking process for innovation.
- Development of a Lean Canvas business model for biotechnology.
- Exploration of intrapreneurship tasks within non-profit research organizations.
- Identification of niche markets in cardiovascular implants and single-use bioreactors.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction:
My very current task is to establish a thriving business unit diversifying the existing multi-million dollar diamond technology at the Fraunhofer Center for Coatings and Diamond Technologies USA and Michigan State University. Diamond research was established 3 decades ago. Due to its attractive properties (transparent, very hard, wide-bandgap semiconductor and excellent heat conductor with large electrochemical potential window and chemical inert and biocompatible) engineers and physicists tried hard to synthesize diamond. But single-crystal diamond bigger than 5x5 mm2 was hard to produce.
Electronic diamond devices were produced on small and expensive substrates. The lack of large high-quality single-crystal wafers limited the efforts of many research groups around the world. Nowadays, there are only a few groups left worldwide trying to overcome the technological barriers. There are only 4 research groups in the United States and very few in Europe and Japan. Recently, large scale manufacturing of diamond gem stones was established in Singapore, and China is planning similar production facilities. Those diamond crystals are still small sized and poor in quality. Yes, synthetic diamond is qualitatively far better than natural diamond but the quality is still too poor for electronic applications.
Potential applications would be first and foremost high-power devices (DC-DC switches) for electrical cars enabling passive cooling at a compact size. Therefore, reliable mobile power converters with high efficiency could be realized for a multi-billion market. Fraunhofer CCD’s and MSU’s ambition is to be the leading supplier of high-quality 2 inch single crystal diamond substrates for electronic devices. Within three years first substrates shall be commercialized by establishing R&D contracts with the customers. This intrapreneurship task shall expand the diamond applications into strategical economic fields of high potential growth and industrial relevance.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the motivation to establish a diamond technology business unit and presents the hypothesis that targeted applications can solve technical, medical, and environmental issues.
2. Literature Review: Discusses classical business tools such as SWOT, PESTLE, BCG matrix, and Value Proposition Canvas as frameworks for establishing a new business field.
3. Research design & methodology: Explains the market research process using the 5Ds model and introduces the Stanford Design Thinking Cycle as a core method for opportunity identification.
4. Findings / results: Presents the gathered secondary and primary data regarding the current state of cardiovascular implants and bioreactor automation.
5. Analysis, discussion, interpretation: Evaluates the business ideas using a conflicted SWOT analysis and PESTLE to interpret the market environment for diamond-based biomedical solutions.
6. Conclusions: Reflects on the feasibility of the business model and emphasizes the need for a translational approach in commercializing diamond research.
7. Recommendations: Proposes the integration of lean and design thinking models into a feedback-driven innovation process for future ventures.
8. Bibliography & References: Provides the comprehensive list of academic sources and industry reports referenced in the study.
Keywords
Diamond Technology, Intrapreneurship, Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup, Design Thinking, Biomedical Engineering, Bioreactors, Personalized Medicine, Cardiovascular Implants, Strategic Management, Market Research, Open Innovation, Translational Research, Sustainability, Technology Commercialization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on establishing a sustainable business unit at the Fraunhofer Center and Michigan State University to commercialize diamond technology, specifically targeting the biomedical industry.
What are the central thematic areas?
The core themes are diamond material applications, intrapreneurship within academic research centers, strategic business analysis, and the development of medical devices like bioreactors and implants.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to answer whether a sustainable business model in diamond technology is possible and to design this model using modern entrepreneurial frameworks.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The research uses a mix of qualitative market research, the Stanford Design Thinking methodology, and various strategic analysis tools like SWOT, PESTLE, and the BCG matrix.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers market environment analysis, the specific identification of opportunities in personalized medicine, and the validation of these ideas through business modeling.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include Diamond Technology, Bioreactors, Business Model Canvas, Design Thinking, and Personalized Medicine.
Why are single-use bioreactors a focus of this research?
They represent a fast-growing niche market where the author’s diamond-based sensor technology can significantly increase productivity and enable real-time process monitoring.
What role does the Stanford Design Thinking process play here?
It serves as the backbone for the innovation culture, ensuring that the development of diamond-based products is user-centered and capable of rapid, iterative prototyping.
How does the author propose to overcome market entry barriers?
By leveraging the existing research infrastructure (ISO 9001/13485) and establishing strong partnerships with industry leaders through a defined value proposition focused on high-tech automation.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Tom Zimmermann (Autor:in), 2018, Business unit development as intrapreneurship task at MSU and FhG CCD, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/450926
