Robert W. Gore Materials Innovation Project
Center for Contemporary History and Policy
Chemical Heritage Foundation

The Center for Contemporary History and Policy (CCHP) of the Chemical Heritage Foundation is seeking scholars to write case studies on contemporary materials innovation. The case studies, typically 25-35 pages in length, will consist of empirical investigations on research and development, production, marketing, and use of new materials since ca. 1980. Studies should describe the underlying scientific and technical advances, but the primary analytical orientation should be on the broader social, economic, and political context of materials innovation, including but not limited to: the role of regulation; the influence of standards and standard-setting institutions; the role of organizational factors; the impacts of changing markets and supply chains on corporate innovation; the effects of the changing innovation environment.

The CCHP will provide selected scholars with stipends and research funds to conduct research and write the case studies, as well as other administrative support to publish and disseminate the final results. Successful scholars will be required to visit Philadelphia for a mid-term review and a final presentation.

Selected scholars will retain copyright of the case studies, and the CHF encourages them to publish the results as scholarly articles and book chapters.

About the Gore Materials Innovation Project
New materials pervade our contemporary world. From novel metal alloys and plastics, to semiconductor and biomedical materials, materials are, almost by definition, the fundamental building blocks of the human-built civilization. Nevertheless, our understanding of how materials innovations come to be has so far been extremely limited. While substantial work has been done in the field of innovation studies, materials innovation, by virtue of its invisibility, has been largely neglected barring a few exceptions of bakelite, nylon, and duralumin.
In an age where nanotechnology claims to build new materials from the bottom up, the need to gain a better understanding of materials innovation has come increasingly to the fore. The main goals of the Gore Materials Innovation Case Studies Project are: (1) to illuminate the innovation process of new materials; and (2) to identify current changes in the innovation environment. We hope that the case studies will help governments better prepare for economic and social changes; allow industry leaders to organize better for successful innovation; give universities tools to provide better links to industry; and offer insights to the public and nongovernmental organizations.

Begun in 2006, the Gore Materials Innovation Case Studies Project has four completed and six ongoing case studies on a variety of topics. Previous studies include: biodegradable plastics at BASF; chemically amplified photoresists at IBM; Nanomesh water-filtration system; and the role of DARPA in the development integrated photonics. Completed case studies can be viewed on the CHF website at http://www.chemheritage.org/about/about-cchp-pubs-materials-innovation.html

Preferred Themes for 2009-2010
While we will accept proposals on all topics covered within the broad boundaries outlined above, in order to maintain the balance of the overall project, we plan to give preference to proposals engaging in the following themes.
(1) Materials innovation in non-U.S. contexts, especially in Asia
(2) Emerging regulatory regimes in nano-materials
(3) Failed materials innovations, which become a bottleneck in technological development

For clarifications on preferred themes, please get in touch with the Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program.

How to Apply
The deadline for proposal submission is 31 July 2009.

Submissions should include:
(1) Cover letter including the following information: name; mailing address to be used for future correspondence; telephone and fax numbers; e-mail address; present rank and institution name; date Ph.D. received or expected; and title of your research project.
(2) Case study proposal of not more than 1,000 words in length.
(3) Curriculum vitae.
(4) (For graduate students only) One letter of recommendation sent directly to the Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program.

Please send the complete package to:
Chi Chan, Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program
cchan@chemheritage.org
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Proposals will be reviewed by CCHP and outside reviewers, and candidates will be notified of results by mid-August 2009. We expect the first draft of the selected case studies to be completed by spring 2010.

For more information about CCHP activities, please visit our website at http://www.chemheritage.org/about/about-cchp.html

To make further inquiries about the project and/or application procedure, please contact Chi Chan, Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program at 215.873.8249 or cchan@chemheritage.org.