The global challenges of today, such as climate change, access to water and energy, food security etc., can only be overcome with polymers. Research in the development of polymeric materials for real-world applications is of utmost importance. An essential tool to efficiently and effectively develop processable polymeric materials with the desired properties in the final product is process simulation. In the talk some insights into the main elements of materials development research for polymers, such as strategies for up-scaling, are presented. Within this context an overview of the application of simulation along the development chain is given. Key elements such as the components of a simulation, the importance of material data (rheological curves or pressure-volume-temperature relationships) and the deeper complexities of the morphology development in injection molding are discussed. These concepts are illustrated using a number of examples from the research done by the Shaping Processes and Simulation Group at the Leibniz-Institute for Polymer Research in Dresden, Germany. These include, for example, investigations of the variations of rheological data from different producers, databases and measured in-house using different methods, the simulation of flow through an injection molding non-return valve and the simulation and concurrent experimental investigation of micro injection molded parts.