LUX FORUM TOKYO
The Future of Materials Innovation: Navigating Serendipity and Scarcity to Unlock Emerging Opportunities

Chasing Serendipity: Identifying Future Platform Materials to Drive Industrial Innovation 

The development of new materials has long defined innovation in the chemicals and materials industries. Yet, with countless formulation pathways, it has become increasingly difficult to direct R&D toward materials that are both technically promising and commercially viable. Breakthroughs in materials science often stall at the edge of adoption — not due to lack of performance, but because of market timing and application fit. The challenge is twofold: identifying platform materials with transformative potential early and actively scouting for the market conditions and applications that will enable their success. 

This presentation introduces Lux’s top 10 future platform materials — those poised to address critical industry challenges and unlock new value across sectors.

Kristin Marshall
Associate Research Director at Lux Research

Navigating Scarcity: Innovation for Materials Security in Volatile Times 

Materials security has become a critical concern as supply chains grow increasingly fragile. With geopolitical tensions, export restrictions, and rising demand tightening access to key inputs, companies face growing risks to business continuity and operational resilience. In this environment, it is no longer sufficient to know what materials are required — companies must also understand how to secure them reliably or replace them entirely. This challenge calls for a forward-looking strategy that integrates innovation across both materials development and manufacturing practices.  

This presentation draws on Lux’s Raw Materials Criticality Framework to outline four innovation strategies that help mitigate supply risk and strengthen resource security. 

Ian Rinehart
Associate Research Director at Lux Research

Lux Ideathon: Materials Innovation

Advances in materials science are enabling the next wave of innovation across industries. Yet, navigating the complexity of functionality, cost, and scalability remains a challenge for developers and adopters alike. Startups are pushing the frontier of materials innovation by rethinking how materials are designed, developed, and deployed across a range of industrial and consumer applications.  

In this Lux Ideathon, we’ll host a live pitch session spotlighting emerging startups from Japan developing cutting-edge solutions looking to tap into the scarcity, serendipity, and strategy opportunity in the future of materials innovation. 

Moderators:

Kyoko Mori
Client Experience Manager at Lux Research

Additional moderators TBD

Guest Speakers:

TBD

Connecting to Consumers: Unlocking Functional Performance through Materials Innovation 

Breakthrough materials often promise transformational capabilities, but they are often developed without a clear view of the consumers they are intended to serve. Meanwhile, consumer expectations around functionality continue to evolve, placing new demands on product performance. To close this gap, companies must align materials innovation with emerging consumer needs — anticipating where current materials fall short and identifying which technologies can deliver meaningful differentiation. This demands a clear grasp of both technical feasibility and consumer readiness — what they will adopt and when 

This presentation combines Lux’s consumers insights and technology expertise to spotlight high-potential materials innovations that respond directly to evolving consumer needs. 

Nardev Ramanathan, Ph.D.
Associate Research Director at Lux Research