Competitive Tracking

Competitive intelligence is a critical requirement for making sound business decisions in an effort to achieve, maintain, and increase profitability and organizational growth. Companies often position themselves for growth in innovative and constantly changing markets. These same companies are also faced with a customer universe that is demanding and fickle, willing to switch to another provider who is cheaper, faster, more reliable, able to customize, first to meet new regulatory standards, or all of the above. This constant state of flux is challenging to interpret and predict. As a counter to these risk factors, a watchful eye and an analytical understanding of how external forces impact one’s market position are vital to a company’s success.

Emerging Technology Evaluation

The rate of adoption of new technologies into distinct market spaces is challenging to predict. When–and if—to invest in a technology as it emerges is a critical question, and the answer can dramatically affect the health of a company or product line.

How do you predict a disruption or detect technology adoption? Nerac watches markets, sub-markets, and highly innovative companies to identify signs of technology development and marketplace acceptance. Specifically, Nerac Analysts monitor marketplace dynamics and activity in order to detect if and when a particular technology will disrupt the status quo. Nerac Analysts utilize Emerging Technology Evaluation in order to come up with answers to the following client problems:  

• How do I bridge the gap between my existing/current internal capabilities and future market needs in my space?
• It appears that I am going to be disrupted. What strategies are at my disposal? (Development of internal capabilities, expansion in R&D, licensing, acquisition, partnership, outsourcing, etc.)
• How do I formulate a business strategy and portfolio within the context of my business goals and IP position?
• Should I continue to innovate within my existing market space or pursue a new emerging market?
• How do I identify an emerging opportunity that would be the right match, given my current IP position and business portfolio
• What technologies and applications should I be monitoring that are outside of my core competency or my current industry?

   

Innovation Strategy

Increase innovation throughout by leveraging adjacency research, open innovation, and IP strategy to build competitive edge.

• Build innovation networks that provide sustained volume of ideas and opportunities.
• Identify in- and out-licensing partners.
• Vet innovation partners for business sustainability, IP strengths, and technical acumen.
• Avoid IP contamination problems when vetting outside ideas.
• Build technology scouting and assessment functions within your company.

Market Strategy

Companies are often faced with a variety of questions when considering major investments in product development and commercialization:

• Are our core competencies relevant to our target markets?
• How can we leverage our core competencies?
• Where do we want to be in two, five and ten years?
• How can we best determine the needs of the marketplace?
• Will our offering be successful in multiple economical climates and geographies? 
•  What is the risk versus benefit of introducing a new product or entering a new market?How important is price?

   

•  How does an activity, or inactivity, impact our company’s brand?

Technical Feasibility

One of the most important steps in the early phases of product evaluation is the determination of technical feasibility. Analyzing the risks associated with the technical capabilities and limitations of a product or service early in the process can save development groups from making significant and costly errors. Nerac Analysts rely on many factors to effectively evaluate and guide our clients’ innovative concepts through to commercialization. When Nerac Analysts perform a Technical Feasibility Analysis their scope can span technical, economic, market operational, socio-political, regulatory, and legal areas. We strive to help our clients answer questions such as:

• Is this a viable path based on the associated risk and our current market position?
• Does the technology needed for a product or service exist?
• Are there companies producing similar technologies in adjacent markets?
• What difficulties will wet face in commercializing the technology?
• What are our options for taking a product or service into a functional and market-ready stage?

Custom Briefings

Guided by a client’s distinct project needs and objectives, Nerac Analysts merge industry expertise with relevant research findings to track key information channels from diverse sources to produce a custom, high-level briefing that includes critical updates.

 

Exploration of Adjacent Technologies and Markets

Evaluating adjacent technology areas can help companies leapfrog the competition by incrementally improving stagnate products and technologies, as well as indentifying unlikely partnerships. Similarly, companies can create new revenue streams by introducing products and services into markets previously unexplored. Through a close examination of adjacent technologies & markets, Nerac Analysts help clients answer the following:

• What adjacencies should I be monitoring as I am developing for my core market?
• What is the best way to leverage and utilize my current technologies in new markets?
• What key partnerships should I focus on in order to position my products and technologies for new markets?
• When is it time to stop exploring and start acting on new market opportunities?   
  
  

Intellectual Property Solutions

Innovative companies understand the need to protect their Intellectual Property (IP). Diligently protecting IP works to increase the value of a company’s IP portfolio and to avoid litigation in regards to patents. Nerac services are designed to aid in these efforts. Standard IP Services include:

•  Patentability, sequence and chemical structure-based research
• Patent invalidity efforts
• White space analysis
• Freedom to operate research

  Nerac’s team of patent attorneys and agents perform prior art research and consider collections of patents to complement the internal resources of a company (i.e. business development, R&D, attorneys), or external resources being used to prosecute or litigate patents.

On-Demand Services

The rapid rate of technological change and the highly competitive nature of today’s business environment demands extraordinary effort for those who really want to compete in the marketplace. True competitors know they must keep up with important industry and product developments and quickly assess their next move.

Nerac knows that it requires constant attention to market movement to excel in this environment. To address this need, we provide clients access to cross-disciplined Analysts who serve as advisors and apply expertise and insight to the day-to-day challenges our clients face. For clients seeking assistance in strategy and innovation, we deliver custom assessments of product and technology development opportunities, competitive threats, intellectual property strategies, compliance requirements, and onsite workshops