Innovating Tomorrow: Unveiling 2023’s Triumphs from Ideas to Reality

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Neville Hobson: Welcome, listeners, to a special journey through the groundbreaking world of ‘Ideas to Innovation,’ a podcast from Clarivate where curiosity meets ingenuity.

I’m your host, Neville Hobson, bringing you the best of 2023, a year brimming with ideas that not only dared to dream but also transformed those dreams into reality.

We’ll hear the details behind three powerful examples of people thinking forward in the real world. Compelling stories that capture the ideals, the passion and the outcomes of journeys from ideas to innovation, to fruition.

Intro: Ideas to Innovation. From Clarivate.

Neville Hobson: This year, the ‘Ideas to Innovation’ podcast took you on an enlightening voyage, from the microscopic intricacies of life sciences to the vast expanse of ocean research.

Our conversations with experts weren’t just talks; they were narratives of change, stories of how their insights are solving the world’s most complex challenges.

Imagine a world where AI not only diagnoses your health but revolutionizes healthcare and life sciences. Picture a future where the career opportunity gap in Intellectual Property is bridged, fostering inclusive growth.

Each episode in Season 2, and then in Season 3, launched in September, was a mosaic of inspiration as we explored seismic shifts in global research, the power of science and big data in medical breakthroughs, and the transformative journey of innovators in citation analytics and research policy to champions of renewable energy.

In the 15 episodes we published in 2023, our discussions ventured into the realms of policy and academia, examining how artificial intelligence is building bridges between science and government. We celebrated the vital contributions of Black women, recognized the challenges and opportunities for women and girls in science, and looked at the future of sustainable mobility.

In this episode, we showcase three of this year’s stories each of which is a testament to the spirit of innovation… a reminder that when passionate minds work towards a common goal, the impossible becomes possible.

So, whether you’re a business professional, a curious learner, or just someone who appreciates the marvels of innovation, join us as we bring you stories from ‘Ideas to Innovation’ in 2023.

Be ready to say, ‘Wow, Clarivate, you really did that!”

Let’s dive in with a story that illustrates why believing that what you see, read and hear is real and truthful has never been under such a challenge as it is today.

In scientific research, this manifests itself in areas like data and image falsification. Uncovering such dishonesty isn’t easy. When you do, challenging it can be tricky as well.

So how do you combat it? David Sanders, an associate professor at Purdue University in the US, our guest in episode 20 in July, has built a reputation as a “scientific sleuth” where his ability to identify falsified data and images in published academic research is quite uncanny. His findings have led to numerous retractions, highlighting how this type of misconduct directly damages scientific integrity.

He notes that maintaining research integrity in the face of increasingly sophisticated falsification will require vigilance across the entire academic community.

Advances in technology are making it easier to generate fabricated images and data that appear authentic. Generative AI can produce fake images, text and data that humans struggle to identify as false. As David remarks in our conversation, this could lead to a proliferation of high-quality fraudulent research flooding both predatory journals and reputable publishers.

Still, he says, people with curiosity have a major role to play.

David Sanders: “I don’t know how much of this is going to be able to be automated. I do feel that much of the reliance upon automation, for example, in plagiarism detection, has not been effective. We can use some of the techniques to identify easy things, but then you have to go on and do things at a higher level.

One of my colleagues on the University of Toulouse identifies articles that have tortured phrases. And I’ll just give you an example. There’s a condition called lactose intolerance. Well, what happens is people take articles, they translate them into some other language and then back into English to avoid plagiarism detection. And then lactose intolerance gets turned into lactose bigotry. So we have references to lactose bigotry in articles.

Some of this can be automated, but there’s always going to be an arms race between those who are using technology to evade detection of fraud and those who are trying to use technology to identify fraud. So, I think, you know, at least for the next decade, there’s going to be plenty of work for scientific sleuths. I wish there were, I hope that there’s less. Because if we institute some of these policies, I think we’re going to be facing these matters less often. But, you know, that’s up to institutions to take these matters more seriously.”

Neville Hobson: In episode 15 in May, we were immersed in a story about a rare hereditary disease, and its devastating impact on those affected and their families. Our two guests shared experiences and insights to help us understand the role and work of scientific research in seeking answers.

Lissa Poincenot from Carlsbad, California, is the mother of two children who became affected by this disease. It’s called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, LHON, a genetic condition affecting the optic nerve that mostly affects young men.

Lissa shared her unique perspectives on not only her own unusual journey with LHON but also the sparks of hope generated by the collective actions of other patients and families who were coping well with the disease.

Lissa Poincenot: “Back in 2008, I really had had almost no experience with legal blindness. And when my son started losing vision, first in one eye, and then in the other, I was absolutely terrified. The future that I saw for him looked bleak and I was scared for him, frightened, devastated, just did not know how to ensure that he would live a great life given this unusual situation. And I had two other teenage children at the time and when I learned that LHON was genetic and I had passed the same mutation to the two of them and they were at risk, I was worried about them also, but it also made me highly motivated.

In terms of the research, I’m realistic about the research situation. LHON is a rare disease and we’re fortunate. We’ve really attracted quite a bit of interest in research. We’ve had clinical trials in a variety of modalities. And the problem hasn’t been solved yet, but people are working on it. And I think one of the problems is we’re such a rare disease that having the data sets large enough to figure things out has been hard to do.”

Neville Hobson: Lissa’s remark about data sets gets straight to the heart of the matter: what is science doing to find an effective treatment for LHON, and how is big data helping in that?

It’s a question that our second guest provided some clarity in addressing. Shyama Ghosh is a senior principal content editor at Clarivate based in Antwerp, Belgium. She has a strong interest in rare diseases and advocates for relevant reporting to increase awareness about such conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Shyama was part of a team of Clarivate epidemiologists who created a COVID-19 medical dashboard to help vaccine manufacturers harness the large volume of information emerging from various sources.

Shyama Ghosh: “Real-world evidence can identify previously undetected cases. It improves the diagnostic rates because you’re following up on a very daily basis the condition of the patients. And real world evidence can also help to monitor treatment outcomes.

What is required is that researchers interested in real-world data, collaborate, and they prepare standardized protocols to collect this kind of data. And that can help to give a better understanding of that particular disease, rare disease, in this case LHON. So what we know from LHON that an accurate diagnosis is crucial for treatment. What we have done at Clarivate is that we triangulated several data assets like real-world data, published studies, clinical trial results, brought them all together to get a better understanding of this condition and what were the current drug uses for this disease.”

Neville Hobson: A passion for cutting-edge scientific research, groundbreaking discoveries, and transformative technologies are hallmarks that define 3M as one of the world’s most innovative and successful manufacturing companies.

3M is also a company that’s experienced many ‘Eureka!’ moments, a moment of sudden, triumphant discovery. Probably the most famous is the moment when an adhesive that stuck lightly to surfaces but didn’t bond tightly to them met the means to turn that into a commercial reality in the form of Post-It notes.

It also illustrates that perseverance or persistence can be just as important as inspiration when it comes to bringing an idea to innovation to life.

This philosophy holds true for our guest in episode 14 last April when we welcomed Jayshree Seth, corporate scientist, accomplished engineer, and innovator who combines her technical expertise and creativity with her love of science.

As Chief Science Advocate for 3M, with 77 patents to her name, she works with other engineers and scientists to break down complex problems and find solutions that stick.

Our wide-ranging conversation included a look at some of those patents. One in particular that Jayshree revealed was the idea behind one of her earliest creations.

Jayshree Seth: “For my doctoral research, I worked on hard diamond-like coatings that could be used on, let’s say, tools, et cetera, to make them more durable. And when I came to 3M, I started in the business that was involved in tapes for keeping diapers on wiggly babies. So I always joke, I went from diamonds to diapers, and I hadn’t seen a diamond. I hadn’t seen a diaper, so what’s the difference? I mean, I really didn’t care that I knew nothing about this area. I was inspired by the context of keeping babies comfortable with soft tapes and fasteners.

And one of the things that was really kind of bothersome to me was the idea of a sharp rectangular corner digging into the baby’s belly. Now, I didn’t have children back then, but I really thought that would be not so ideal. So what that particular patent, Neville, that you read is actually one way to make our tapes and create a rounded corner tape tab so that it would be more comfortable for the baby. And I was just someone who didn’t know much about the area, just looking at that diaper and saying to myself, boy, that must really dig into the baby!”

Neville Hobson: Such a clear embracing approach to innovation is partly why 3M has appeared every year in the list of the top 100 global innovators, companies and organizations which sit at the very top of the global innovation ecosystem, since Clarivate began compiling it in 2012.

Jayshree Seth: “Innovation is not just a buzzword to us, it’s a core element of who we are and what we do. And we also recognize that innovation is a continuous process and we must never rest on our laurels. We need to push ourselves to be even more innovative, to explore new frontiers, to leverage our diverse perspectives and to develop solutions that have an even greater impact on the world in the future.”

Neville Hobson: As we draw the curtains on this recap of ‘Ideas to Innovation’ in 2023, we hope these stories have not just informed you but also inspired you and entertained you. Together, we’ve traversed a landscape rich in creativity and innovation, meeting extraordinary minds and witnessing their groundbreaking work in real time.

And as we look towards 2024, rest assured that ‘Ideas to Innovation’ will continue to be your window to the world of breakthroughs and discoveries. We promise to bring more such inspiring stories, tales of resilience, and narratives of triumph in the face of adversity. Stories that not only showcase the power of human intellect but also the spirit of human will that drives people to think forward.

Stay curious, stay inspired, and keep tuning in. Here’s to another year of innovation, discovery, and stories that make us say, ‘Wow, Clarivate really did that!’

To find each of the episodes showcased here, and for general information about Ideas to Innovation, visit clarivate.com/podcasts.

In a few weeks, we’ll release our next episode. And for this episode, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues, rating us on your favorite podcast app, or leaving a review.

Until next time, thanks for listening.

Outro: Ideas to Innovation. From Clarivate.