ADOP2T

New technology and new processes can be intimidating. A good idea is only effective if it works in a real application. To diffuse new technology efficiently, it must be tested, it must be available for review, and industry opinion leaders must adopt it. WMRC has created a model for technology diffusion that addresses all of these issues, and promises to speed the transfer of better environmental technologies and processes from the bench to the plant floor.

Accelerated Diffusion of Pollution Prevention Technologies (ADOP2T) establishes showcase demonstration sites in actual facilities in a chosen industrial sector. In exchange for participating, the facility receives WMRC assistance in setting up, testing, and evaluating a new technology for the duration of the pilot period. The testimonial of industry opinion leaders who participated, combined with the actual visual evidence of a successful technology, is a powerfully persuasive tool.

Traditionally, adoption of innovation is a slow process. The greatest lag time occurs in the early testing and verification stages. Even a successful technology is slow to be adopted until a critical mass of industry opinion leaders has implemented it. At this stage, the technology moves from being innovative and risky to being recognized as standard and accepted.

ADOP2T attacks this early stage -- creating an industry-driven incubator for demonstration, testing and ultimately adoption of innovative technologies. The ADOP2T model has been successfully implemented in the metal finishing industry, and work is underway on using the model in the metal fabricating industry.

For more information on ADOP 2T, contact Dr. Tim Lindsey.