1. Deciding about emergent technologies

At DM-ET we study the act of taking decisions about emerging technologies. The DM-ET process can be supported by decision support tools such as scenario planning, roadmapping, or portfolio management matrices and companies could adopt Technology Intelligence processes and systems to keep up with the latest information about emerging technological trends. Nevertheless, the individuals involved are implicitly affected by cognitive issues due to dealing with complex and uncertain outcomes. The adoption of ET may create new problems for those taking decisions as the changes required can be drastic. Technologies such as Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR-VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) may help reduce the problems in taking decisions under uncertain conditions. In this space, current projects include:

• How do intelligence managers interact with AI-tools? (Constanze Leeb) - This project is part of the EINST4INE consortium and receives funding from the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) scheme.
• How does AR affect cognitive processes in Strategic Technology planning? - (Nicola Felicini) This project is part of the EINST4INE consortium and receives funding from the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) scheme and industry
• How does consensus during group decisions on emergent technology unfold? (Pete Jha) - This project receives funding from RADMA
• How do digital visual tools affect the integration of multiple perspectives in technology management decisions? (Bethan Moncur) - This project is part of the AgriFoRwArdS CDT and receives funding from the EPSRC and industry
• Modeling the value of IoT for mass customization – This project received support from Pitch-In 

2. Decisions in emerging technologies

This area covers the understanding of the impact of the emergence of certain technologies on firms and industries. A group of projects at DM-ET looks at past decisions company took when trying to implement an emerging technology to understand which types of conditions, approaches and configurations companies adopted to obtain the best results.  For example, the team has done much work on how companies adopt open innovation to acquire emerging technologies. Current projects include:

• How did gene therapy firms balance innovation modes during technology emergence? (Johannes Wolff) - This project received funding from the Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft
• How does the availability of digital manufacturing technology in fabrication spaces affect the entrepreneurial innovation process? (Dr Valeria Dammicco). This project has been supported by CDT EPSRC and RADMA
• How do companies operate in the deployment of AI? (Pradeep Debata) - This project is supported by CDT EPSRC