Innovation
Innovation in terms of products, processes, organisation... Breakthrough or incremental innovation.. Within innovation, there are many domains and degrees. But one thing is certain for the CTP: innovation does not happen without the creation of value for companies.
THE CTP, AN INNOVATION DRIVER
Ever since its creation, the CTP has been developing radically new breakthrough technologies to support the launch of a product, process or organisation on the market. These innovations respond to medium and long-term demands. For shorter time frames, the CTP proposes less risky innovations with reduced times to market, targeting the continuous improvement of existing products or processes. This is called incremental innovation.
Whatever the trigger, whether it is organised or not, and whether it emerges from a brainstorming session or from a spontaneous idea, a structuring framework is always necessary in order to avoid spreading efforts and to stay focused.
The CTP’s Goals and Performance Contract, which is renewed every four years, provides an initial framework through its key development areas, which are then broken down operationally through various roadmaps centred on a given technology or field of expertise. These roadmaps identify the obstacles to be overcome and define the priority activities, taking into account the social and environmental challenges and the resulting issues for the paper and board industry.
A set of projects is hence launched on a regular basis with collective funding, to increase know-how and advance technological maturity (TRL scale).
The CTP contributes its skills to each activity irrespective of its level of maturity, from the exploratory stage to near-industrial operation. Additional funding allocated to these projects may come from a variety of sources, depending on the associated risk level and TRL pathway.
Irrespective of funding, value can only be successfully created if progress is made simultaneously on three fronts: the technology as it progresses up the TRL scale, the market, and the product. In 2022, to achieve this ambition, the CTP will create a new position with the role of anticipating and implementing technology transfer and the aim of enabling companies to manufacture and market products created through more efficient processes.
INTO THE CTP’S DNA
This person’s tasks will be to capitalise on the experience gained from past projects, consider industrial-scale development in the medium term, as soon as the first TRL levels are reached, and support industrial companies and equipment manufacturers in the preproduction and production start-up phases. In other words: ensure that the future industrial process or new product is successfully brought into operation.