The aim of FIBONIX Incorporated is to combine constructive elements of both industry new product development and academic research to generate effective knowledge creation and well-performing products in the textile and apparel industries.

The distinct ideologies of industry and academia are often considered to be independently-focused, involving very separate approaches, methods and tools. This firm seeks to extract knowledge from both systems yet allows each to perform as it was designed, akin to drawing power from separate water mill generators placed on two separate rivers.

Industry New Product Development (NPD) is focused on all stages to bring a product from concept to market as well as the creation of incremental improvements to help its performance. This is a systematic process consisting of many steps specialized to each companies’ strategy and often includes market need identification, product conceptualization, prototype development, and user feedback acquisition among other steps. Generally, industry NPD is practically-focused and mission oriented, driven by specific targets and goals. This is because in most cases the NPD process exists within and is funded by a larger corporation which requires that all financial investments show returns. Often as a result, an emphasis is placed on short-term profitability, limiting breakthrough innovations characterized by high investment and risk.

Academic research is not designed to benefit a specific company or organization and is focused on maintaining objectivity through an exploratory approach. Academic research follows the scientific method which focuses on exploring fundamental relationships between variables and observing natural phenomena. This may include concept formulation, testing and prototyping. In academic research, all claims must be supported through theory and sound logic, meaning that conclusions are very robust; however, intuitive sense does not support conclusions. This type of research is not mission-oriented as there are no specific tangible targets and goals, rather scientific researchers seek to contribute to an existing body of knowledge. However as a result, solutions gained through this perspective can be difficult to scale and timelines can be slow.

FIBONIX seeks to utilize successful elements of both ideologies to increase knowledge generation around apparel and textiles, leading to the development of innovative and successful products.