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3D Corporate Tourism: A Concept for Innovation in Nanomaterials Engineering

Nature's materials are complex, multifunctional, hierarchical and responsive and in most instances functionality on the nanoscale is combined with performance on the macroscale. Materials engineers have just started to produce complex nanomaterials. Biomimicry and biomimetics deal with knowledge transfer from nature to technology. Inspired by the 'Biomimicry and Design Workshops' and the 'Biomimicry Innovation Method' by the US based Biomimicry Guild, '3D Corporate Tourism', a solution based approach to innovation in nanomaterials research, is proposed. The three main pillars of this integrated concept are discover, develop and design. Biologists, research and development engineers as well as designers jointly work in an environment with high inspirational potential and construct first prototypes and designs on site. This joint approach yields new links, networks and collaborations between communities of thinkers in different countries in order to stimulate and enhance creative and application oriented problem solving for society.