The Evolving Role of R&D in 2025 and Beyond

At Untapped Innovation, we believe that the role of R&D in modern organisations evolves every year. Scientists and engineers must not only understand user needs, but also translate these insights into superior products with noticeable, beneficial attributes. However, developing a winning product is no longer enough to win in market. R&D must also develop their “articulacy muscle” to ensure that technical investments are clearly translated into relevant and distinctive stories, concepts, claims, and investor pitches.

According to the LSE blog (September 2024) entitled “Stories change people, abstract ideas don’t”, Sayess, Sediha, and Dolan summarise “The past decade of research has shown us just how powerful narratives can be in shaping the pace and direction of social progress. As policymakers grapple with increasingly complex challenges, it’s worth remembering that sometimes, the most effective solutions start with something as simple as telling, and listening to, a good story”.

R&D as Story-Tellers

Bill Schick tells us that story-telling in science is the key to audience engagement, and while scientists and engineers are passionate about their products, sharing every detail can make the message difficult to understand and less impactful. Instead, focusing on a story narrative (vs. a long lists of features) makes the product message 20 times easier to understand, remember, and act upon. By considering the user as the ‘hero’ and focusing on their user journey and unmet needs, R&D can create a compelling story that highlights the breakthrough technology and its benefits. We have proven over many years at Untapped that this approach consistently generates single-minded concepts with higher purchase intent and multiple story options, which maximises technology return on investment and prolongs product relevancy in market.

R&D as Demonstrators

In the current cost of living crisis, product points of difference are under greater scrutiny at every purchase point. If in-store and online claims and demos lack the power to “stop, hold, and close” each sale, innovation ROI suffers. R&D must bring new products to life with simple, relevant, and distinctive claims and demos. And with an explosion of online media driving a need for greater volumes of shareable content* there is an exponential need for distinctive, compelling information to feed social media platforms. R&D can empower their marketing and sales teams by creating engaging demo tool-kits that translate the product story for different influencers and thought leaders, which can help to overcome trial barriers and increase sales.

R&D as Business-Leaders

With the growth of acquisitions and mergers, R&D must “bring the science to the suits” and display rigorous critical thinking to convey the technology’s return on investment. By clearly articulating unmet user needs, technical problems, and competitor deficiencies, R&D can credential meaningful new technology features and persuasive technical measures. Additionally, R&D can unite the broader multi-functional innovation team (e.g. Safety, QA, Regulatory, I.P. and Manufacturing) by using well-designed Ideal Product Model blueprints, ensuring everyone understands the overall framework to connect user needs with specific sensory attributes, technical mechanisms, and breakthrough test methods. This approach leads to consistently designed, well-protected, and highly compliant products. According to research from McKinsey, “innovative growers unfailingly put innovation at the centre of strategic and financial discussions, thereby signalling its importance to the growth and health of the organisation”.

If you would like to up-skill your R&D team, check out the Innovation Gym menu from Untapped, which covers these important topics and more.

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