Foresight of Material Surface Engineering as a Tool Building a Knowledge-Based Economy

Abstract

Throughout history, a substantial or often leap technological progress, was determined by the availability of new engineering materials, which usually stimulated the improvement in the quality of life. The development of engineering materials constitutes one of the most significant elements in the field of science and technology, and innovative policy in Poland and Europe as regards the knowledge-based economy (KBE). The enhancement of the product functional properties, required by the new strategies of engineering materials development, as well as materials processing technologies is frequently connected with appropriate formation of the engineering materials surface layer structure and properties. Functional properties of many products depend not only on the possibility of transferring the mechanical load across the whole element section or its physicochemical properties, but, most often, they depend mainly on the surface layer structure and properties. The application of foresight methodology in the assessment of the state and prospects regarding the development of technology related to the formation of the materials surface structure and properties provides the possibility to manage knowledge in this field. It can be achieved through a formalization of the explicit and tacit knowledge gathering and use in order to increase production competitiveness, effectiveness, and innovation, improve the quality of life and achieve sustainable development. The objectives accomplished in such a way contribute to the increase in intellectual capital by enhancing the effectiveness of using the existing knowledge, creating new knowledge, as well as increasing the level of understanding and disseminating knowledge. The implemented foresight project will result in identifying the priority innovative technologies and strategic research trends in the scope of surface structure and properties formation of engineering materials and biomaterials whose development in the country will be of key importance within next 20 years.