Innovation in Today's Circular Economy: The Path Forward is combinatorial. Response to NSF RFI for TIP Roadmap

Abstract

The National Science Foundation has been directed by federal legislation (CHIPS Act) to enter what is largely unfamiliar territory. NSF, which has always focused on basic research, is now charged with working in different terrain, where the focus is on moving science and engineering beyond the laboratory to have the material societal impact we hope for and that our country needs. In my view, this reflects a recognition, even if only tacit, that the conditions under which the United States racked up such tremendous advantages over other countries in the past have changed—and that the change poses a tremendous challenge to the nation.

In this response To NSF's request for input I summarize a new approach to accomplish those goals, laying out how it reimagines innovation in the era of the circular economy. It is premised on four key ideas: managing innovation waste; technology repurposing and recycling; creating a feedback loop for innovation; and combinatorial innovation.