Comprehensive technology exploitation using system dynamics

Extensive exploitation of technology is strategically planned so far only in very few research institutions and companies. Thereby a great technological as well as economic potential remains untapped. A major reason for the neglect of the exploitation potential is that a situational assessment of exploitation opportunities throughout the entire technology life cycle has not yet been systematically explored. Although individual aspects of the problem were treated, a comprehensive model considering all relevant variables, such as the technology to be exploited, the specific objectives of the research and development project and the relevant factors of the environment of the exploitation situation, has not yet been developed. In addition, the change of these factors should be taken into account throughout the technology life cycle. In order to achieve this goal all relevant variables for the exploitation decision have to be described in sub-models and later combined in a multiattribute decision model. Based on a first framework presented prior by the authors, the intended contribution of the present paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the interdependencies between the key influential factors of the exploitation situation as well as the considered sub-models. Thereby the expected developments of the sub-models for the used System Dynamics model can be modeled.