Assessing the market prospects for electroluminescent foils
Master student Phillip Haake has conducted an Inside the Venture Master thesis project in collaboration with the InnovationLab (IL) in Heidelberg. He assessed the prospects for commercialization of electroluminescent foils, which are produced with a revolutionary production technology. The assessment involved market research of various current and future application markets and an analysis of the technological requirements for catering to these different market needs. His study encompassed a description of different material, design and production options for electroluminescent foil. The theoretically possible was also compared with the currently available technology and a list of quotations for different configurations of the foil was produced. This allowed to weigh the costs of design choices at current market prices. Furthermore, the thesis project included the approach of possible partners for the design and testing of prototypes, which would make use of the electroluminescent foils. A keen interest in different lighting technology and several partners for potential prototypes were identified.
The theoretical part of Phillip's Master thesis deals with the analysis of research on clusters. It provides insights into the applicability of set-theoretic research methods such as qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) for research on clusters. While working on his master thesis, Phillip had a lot of interaction with the team at the IL and with many market participants. This helped him to gain a thorough understanding of the particular market for the technology of electroluminescence and related technological advancements. We thank Phillip for his great work!
About the InnovationLab
The InnovationLab is a research- and transfer platform of science and economy in the Rhein-Neckar-Region. It was born by the University of Mannheim, the Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) as well as the corporations BASF SE, Merck KGaA, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and SAP AG. Its goal is the creation of interdisziplinary research platforms that allow cooperative projects of different partners and the transfer of inventions into marketable products.