As demand increases and competition becomes tighter for functional materials, such as electrolytes for batteries, consumables for semiconductor manufacturing, and functional plastics, materials and chemical companies are competing to continuously innovate and differentiate themselves in new and existing markets. Despite the urgency, 60-70% of scientists’ time is still spent on non-research activities like administrative tasks and general data work.

The key to accelerating discovery and innovation is to transition from a traditional materials lab to the lab of the future. When successfully implemented, the lab of the future has an infrastructure of purpose-built technology with optimized workflows. Materials scientists and chemists are empowered with digital skills that enable them to make discoveries faster and more efficiently than ever before. To many R&D leaders, however, a digital automated lab remains an out-of-reach, abstract idea. While it’s clear that advanced technologies are essential in scientific discovery today, they often don’t know where to start or struggle with translating the unique challenges of the research lab to company executives and IT stakeholders.

In this article, I cover three common barriers preventing materials and chemical companies from fulfilling their lab of the future aspirations, along with what to consider to overcome them and get started.

Read the full article in R&D World here.

More resources about building the Lab of the Future here.