The Virtual Research and Development Department

In most organisations, the research and development (R& D) function is leading the way in exploiting the information revolution. Traditional, physical ways of working are being replaced by new methods of creating products – literally straight from the researcher’s mind. Out are going the physical methods of creating new drugs, to be replaced by a whole new science of bio-informatics (where drugs are created, examined and tested all within the confines of the virtual world of the computer). Out are going paper-based methods of engineering, to be replaced not just by computer-aided design, but also by new methods of working (concurrent engineering, for example) in which all the design documents are accessible to everyone via their computers, making the concept of a virtual R& D team a reality. Out are going painstaking methods for calculating the optimum design for physical components, to be replaced by programs called genetic algorithms, which employ Darwinian principles of evolution literally to breed better designs within the computer. These changes are radically improving the profitability of the companies that embrace them. Not only do they reduce costs, but – and in most cases, much more importantly – they are also dramatically reducing the time it takes to develop new products for market.