"Fundamental research is difficult, but applied research is even more difficult" was one of the famous quotes from Ep Köster. This may well be true for fundamental researchers demonstrating scientific principles, with applied scientists facing the challenge of having to demonstrate the feasibility and business relevance by translating the scientific principle into a consumer product that is both efficacious and enjoyed. This challenge often deals with contextual factors such as
1) the situation in which a product or technology needs to perform,
2) the product matrix in which the technology needs to work,
3) the industry context in which the product needs to be delivered (e.g., cost, competitor products).
The first factor has also been referred to as “the situational fallacy” by Ep (Köster, 2003) and it has received increasing attention in sensory research as well as in a wider literature on situated cognition, focusing on the importance and often ignored role of social, cultural and situational features as a significant cognitive resource. For example, it is now well appreciated that food products should be evaluated in the (social) settings they tend to be consumed in combination with foods they are normally accompanied with. In contrast, the second and third factors have been quite neglected, yet they can severely limit or complicate translating the scientific principle into an efficacious product.
In this presentation I intend to share examples of various product and industry contexts from the Fast Moving Consumer Goods industry to illustrate how they can complicate the process of translation from scientific principle to business application. A Phase Gate approach with crucial phases of the R&D process and gates for evaluation of progress can be helpful to prevent product failure at early rather than later phases of innovation.

Köster, E. P. (2003). The psychology of food choice: some often encountered fallacies. Food quality and preference, 14(5-6), 359-373.