The Swiss engineer George de Mestral was inspired by the Burdock Burr while on a walk with his dog, Milka.
Looking closer, he saw how the tiny hooks on the burr clung to the natural loops in the dog’s fur and from there Velcro was born. He originally envisaged Velcro as a fastener for clothing. Yet it is now used everywhere from hospitals to cars, from the ocean floor to deep space. Nasa uses Velcro to prevent astronauts’ dinner plates floating away.
Most innovation comes from taking inspiration from elsewhere. Like starting a fire, the sparks of innovation are created by rubbing together different experiences and insights. We can be obsessed by the search for the brand new, operating in isolation, and miss the opportunities that lie in plain view.
Many solutions already exist but the novelty is how they are applied in new contexts. This has vital implications on how to solve the world’s challenges, to support entrepreneurs, and for Government policy. It is about breaking down silos, building bridges cross-sector, connecting disparate networks, and developing the skills to spot and harness the innovations as they emerge.
There are many examples of biomimicry as a rich source of innovation. Janine Benyus founded The Biomimicry Institute to use nature-inspired innovation “to solve humanity’s biggest challenges in a regenerative way”. There is much to learn from maple seeds and kingfisher birds in the design of wind turbines or the colours on a butterfly for coatings and paints. New businesses and jobs are being created from these insights such as at Cypris Materials and PowerCone.
All over Scotland, entrepreneurs are thinking cross-sector. In the south of Scotland, Luke Mazs founded Galloway Modular Construction, now based in Newton Stewart, to create bespoke office, retail and holiday accommodation using shipping containers. Not only that, it is active in its community in identifying and finding new purposes for old and vacant buildings to create jobs and services that are badly needed.
To the east in Duns, Nick Meakin at Aqualution has a global business in green production of the acid produced by the mammalian immune system to kill invasive organisms and fight infection. It already has applications in food processing, healthcare, and bird and animal welfare. Responding to the climate challenge, he is turning his transferable skills to using the electrolyser technology with poor-quality water to produce hydrogen.
Some entrepreneurs see the waste product of one sector as the source material in another. Lidia Krzynówek and her team at Carbogenics are converting paper cup and cardboard waste into CreChar. CreChar is used to enhance anaerobic digestion, remove odours and pollutants from waste water, and as a plant fertiliser. Cleantech innovators Professor Martin Tangney and Mark Simmers have been on a 10-year journey growing Celtic Renewables, which converts whisky draff and other bio-materials into high-value renewable chemicals and biofuels. For Scotland plc, they have created 50-plus high-quality jobs.
Our human instinct is to reduce complexity and create order, to put things into neat little boxes. Yet innovation, indeed life, is much, much more messy, and everything is interconnected. The Scottish Government’s 10-year transformation plan must avoid the temptation to focus on just a few sectors.
The biggest ROI is in human capital and nurturing the networks and ecosystems they inhabit.We must bridge and connect sectors and develop the skills of collaboration, leadership, curiosity, experimentation, and adaptability in our people to seize the opportunities that will emerge.
Sandy Kennedy, entrepreneurial optimist
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