The Root of Innovation: Research, Research, Research!

All innovation begins with knowledge, a collection of facts and data about the world, from which we draw connections and germinate ideas in order to create something new. Our minds are constantly taking in information and filing it away for later usage. The victuals with which we feed our brains largely determine our innovative capacity. Thus, at the root of innovation is research.

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. 

—Zora Neale Hurston

By becoming more focused and intentional with our research, we become better innovators. Think of research like building a well. Instead of digging randomly in the hopes of finding water, we should first try to identify groundwater reservoirs, and then we can dig deep to tap into the water below. So let’s look at the metaphorical groundwater available to us as innovators and how to best tap into it in a way that leads to innovation.

The Patent Archives: What’s Already Been Done?

Innovation is, by definition, the creation of something new. To ensure you are actually innovating, you must determine what has already been done. Therefore, once you’ve identified a problem to solve, the first thing to do, before you even begin developing a solution, is look through the patent archives, at both current and expired patents. 

There is no point wasting time and money to develop something that already exists. Researching patents helps you to avoid patent overlap. This is crucial to not only prevent patent infringement, but also to ensure that your own solution can be patented in some way. Patents are one of the most fundamental protections for innovators. If you cannot patent your solution in some way, then someone else can easily steal your idea and reap the rewards without having to assume any of the same risk and investment you did to create the solution in the first place. 

This isn’t just an exercise to avoid patent overlap. It’s also a way to learn from the past. Looking at old patents can spark new ideas. Even if a patent has expired or been abandoned, that information can be valuable, clueing us in on why other potential solutions were unsuccessful. This historical insight is a fertile ground where new, groundbreaking ideas take root.

Scientific Literature: What Do We Know?

After the patent archives, the next big reservoir of information is scientific literature: white papers, studies, reports, and the other content that tells us what we currently know. We live at a time of access to a nearly incomprehensible amount of knowledge thanks to the internet. The sheer volume of information out there has made research both easier and more challenging. Your task as a researcher is not to learn everything, which is impossible, but to parse through the available information in order to uncover the most valuable insights and connections. 

Be prepared to dig. To a certain extent, research requires a grind. You have to painstakingly sort through the useless garbage to get the information you actually want. Google is your friend, but don’t assume it will give you what you need in the first few results. It may take forty slightly different, rephrased searches to unearth the exact information you need. 

Focus on the articles that are frequently cited by others. Scientific work often builds upon itself. By searching for the most-cited articles, you will find the crucial, foundational work from which other research has sprouted. Plus, you often must pay to access scientific literature, so you will save money by focusing on the most pivotal articles.

Get to know the specific, relevant industry. From fluid mechanics to biochar to interfaces, nearly everything today has its own journal, which can give you a cutting-edge picture of what’s going on in the industry.

Drill down to first principles, then think laterally. Industry-specific knowledge is important, but don’t limit yourself. There are basically only two ways to innovate: create something entirely new or take something that already exists and adapt or apply it in a new way. In practice, the second method is one of the most effective, efficient ways to innovate. 

Research is to see what everybody has seen and think what nobody has thought.

—Albert Szent-Györgyi

Identify the core principles or concepts you want to understand, then look at those principles and concepts in other industries. For example, let’s say you’re tasked with developing a new pump. Well, there are pumps everywhere: in medicine, in the oil and gas industry, in wastewater treatment. There are even pumps in nature. A giraffe’s heart is a pump that manages to move blood all the way up its long neck. Octopuses and squids move via jet propulsion (a.k.a., pumps). When you research laterally, you can discover new ways of thinking about concepts, unearthing opportunities for creativity and innovation.

Knowledge Never Ends, So Neither Should Research

What we know today is not the same as what we will know tomorrow. New patents are constantly being filed, and science continues to march forward. Research is a perpetual pursuit. 

“Chance favors the prepared mind.”

—Louis Pasteur

You never know exactly what piece of knowledge you will need or when, so try to stay up to date on the major developments in physics, chemistry, and materials science. The more knowledge you have from across a wide range of industries, the deeper the well you can draw from, and the more prepared you will be to innovate when the time comes. 

‍