In this new edition of the Scientifica Journal, we return to the Scientifica Lab in L’Aquila, to tell you about an exciting new project that the team of scientists is working on.

Accompanying us on this journey through research and development projects today will be Akcan Istif, Head of Innovation & Labs at Scientifica Venture Capital.

Hi Akcan, can you “spoil” us with some interesting projects that you are carrying out in the Scientifica Lab?

Currently, one of the projects in which I and our team of scientists are involved is the development of a new type of composite material, based on the use of microcapsules, which has the peculiarity of responding to certain external stimuli (temperature, magnetic field, UV, etc.) when inserted within a more complex system.

We are talking about a new interactive pigment capable of changing colour according to the user’s needs through externally controllable interactions, whose main strength is precisely its versatility.

This feature allows this project to be used in various application areas, such as printing, pigmentation, packaging, defence, etc..

At the basis of this project are composite materials, i.e. materials made through the combination of two or more distinct elements, generally with significantly different properties, in order to obtain a final product with better characteristics than those of the starting raw material and difficult to achieve with the use of a single material.

To obtain our composite materials, we use various state-of-the-art technologies, established synthesis techniques and sophisticated raw materials.

A very challenging project, during the research and development process, what, if any, were the main technical/scientific difficulties?

When it comes to scientific difficulties, the first one to overcome is certainly the feasibility study. In fact, as with all projects, verifying or not verifying the feasibility of an idea is fundamental to getting the study underway and getting into the research phase.

Once the feasibility of the idea has been ascertained, we reason on how to develop the final product so as to make it usable and attractive to the market. In fact, it is not enough for a product to work, another fundamental aspect to focus on is that it be “practical” and that its use can easily fit into the everyday life of future consumers.

Once you have overcome the initial difficulties relating to the feasibility study and how to set up product development so that it is well received by the market, are there any other hurdles to overcome?

Once we have overcome the first steps of the research and development process mentioned above, the product refinement phase begins, where we work to overcome common problems in the technology development cycle such as saturation plateaus and technological limits.

This means pushing the limits that our product can reach and being ready to overcome any kind of obstacle that may arise.

In this context, the so-called “design freeze”, i.e. the ability to decide when it is time to stop and declare the product ready for the next steps leading to the final and hoped-for stage of commercialisation, can be a challenge for us scientists.

But our inherent propensity for improvement and innovation constantly drives us to strive for better results, and so, as good perfectionists, declaring that we have reached the pinnacle is never easy!

So what do you do in such cases?

Adopting the design freeze concept requires a change of mindset, to learn to recognise the value of reaching a defined milestone in the development path. It is about striking a balance between innovation and practicality, recognising that, even when faced with new opportunities for improvement, there comes a time when we must commit to following a path aimed at achieving the goals on time.

What are the key elements to overcome certain obstacles?

To make it possible to overcome challenges, it is necessary, above all, to succeed in creating a team with excellent skills, capable of working synergistically and with passion to achieve the goal.

The choice of an excellent team does not only make it easier to overcome the purely scientific difficulties, but is also essential to successfully tackle the more technical difficulties, such as the optimisation of manufacturing and scale-up protocols, but above all the correct management of the budget…

Thank you, Akcan, for this interesting journey through the Scientifica Lab. We are very curious to discover the other projects you are carrying out.

We look forward to seeing you next month for another edition of the Scientifica Journal.