from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
This paper examines the adoption and acceptance of nanotechnologies and advanced materials (NaAM) by firms in old industrial regions (OIRs). Building on the Technology–Organization–Environment framework and the Technology Acceptance Model, the study conceptualizes how technological, organizational, and environmental contexts shape firm-level and individual-level adoption decisions. NaAM offer measurable benefits in durability, energy efficiency, and regulatory compliance, yet their diffusion in OIRs is constrained by legacy infrastructures, path dependence, lock-in effects, and limited absorptive capacity. Complexity and maturity, expressed through Technology Readiness Levels and Manufacturing Readiness Levels together with Environment, Health, and Safety requirements, slow down early adoption and increase reputational and regulatory uncertainty. Organizational conditions, including resources, management support, absorptive capacity, and innovation champions, are pivotal for translating pilot projects into serial production. At the individual level, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioural intention determine the actual use of NaAM solutions, mediated by social influence and facilitating conditions. By integrating these perspectives, the paper provides a theoretical basis for the qualitative studies of NaAM adoption in old industrial regions, underscoring that effective adoption requires alignment of technological, organizational, and environmental enablers with individual perceptions, supported by open innovation, clear intellectual property regimes, and robust regional innovation systems.
Keywords: Keywords: Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials, Technology Acceptance Model, Technology–Organization–Environment framework, Old Industrial Regions, case study© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.