Advanced process control systems for process miniaturization will increase the need for controlling the security and ownership of process intelligence in a knowledge-based business.  It will become more difficult to control intellectual property through the traditional method of patents; therefore, trademarks, brand recognition, and copyright laws will play a more important role in value security for knowledge-based businesses of the future.
Techno-economic analysis, as taught in traditional chemical process design, will also dramatically shift from a conservative viewpoint of utilization of historical trend economics and cash flow analysis.  Economic viability of a given enterprise will be more linked to acquisition of real-time economic information, that can rapidly change based on empirical observations created by an emerging discipline of microprocess development systems; therefore, the models will be more based on "what can be?" rather that "what has the past shown?"