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The Fourth Industrial Revolution

The ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ characterises an era of new technologies that include robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing and autonomous vehicles.

Today’s developments are being exploited to bridge the gap between digital and physical infrastructures, to increase connectivity and to automate tasks previously performed by humans.

This ‘revolution’ has the potential to disrupt traditional production processes by enabling the introduction of new products and services, reconfiguring work tasks, changing the types of human skills required to work with technology and altering the organisationÌýof supply chains.

It also presents new challenges for individual businesses and society, as it requires significant investment in restructuring, reskilling and infrastructure.
ToÌýdate,Ìýthere has been limited research into the role of innovation intermediaries - organisations that facilitate business innovation by providing research and development (R&D) assistance and other knowledge-intensive services - in facilitating companies’ specific transition towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

What we’re researching:

This research project investigates theÌýcompetencies, organisational structures, business models and services that innovation intermediaries need to put in place to enable companies to adopt new connected and automated technologies successfully.

Our focus is on IoT as a technological application central to the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We are carrying out a long-term analysis of their emergence and implementation alongside a set of interviews with experts in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, to help us to understand their economic application.

We’re also interviewing key people responsible for technology adoption, such as company chief executives, R&D managers, and managers of innovation intermediaries.

What will the impact be?

Dr Federica Rossi, Department of Management explains, "Our research is contributing to our knowledge of how frontier technologies are adopted and implemented in advanced economies, developing insights into successful emerging practices and relationships."

"This research project investigates theÌýcompetencies, organisational structures, business models and services that innovation intermediaries need to put in place to enable companies to adopt new connected and automated technologies successfully," adds Dr Rossi.

"We also intend the research to be a pilot for a larger scale investigation into European innovation intermediaries, to provide a more systematic overview of their practices and business models, as well as their role in supporting digitalisation.Our findings will provide evidence-based knowledge to inform policymakers who design and implement new innovation policies in a rapidly changing technological context. It will also be useful to companies needing to integrate new skills, processes, organisations andÌýtechnologiesÌýstrategicallyÌýwith their existing resources."

Project fact-file

• Full project title: Innovation Intermediaries and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
• Funding: £9,307 [IDÌýSRG18R1\180931]
• Funder:Ìý
• Length of award:Ìý1 October 2018 to 1 April 2020
• Supported by:ÌýÌý(School of Business, Economics and Informatics)
• People:ÌýDr Federica Rossi, Department of Management, ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, University of London; Professor Margherita Russo,Ìý;ÌýDr Annalisa Caloffi,Ìý