The 2019 Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation challenge of Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) generated more than 160 innovative ideas from 30 countries from startups, scale-ups, university spin-outs and other potential partners, according to the company. Imagine Chemistry, now in its third year, was launched to tackle chemistry-related challenges and uncover new ways to create value for customers. The company will select up to 20 finalists to attend an intensive three-day event in May at its RD&I center at Deventer, the Netherlands, where they will work with Nouryon experts and business leaders to further develop their ideas into a joint value case.
“We have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of the submissions,” says Peter Nieuwenhuizen, chief technology officer at Nouryon. “We have also been impressed by the geographical breadth of submissions, which include 28 entries from China, 25 from the US, 18 from the UK, among others.”
The 2019 edition of Imagine Chemistry set challenges in the following five areas:
- Sustainable bio-based surfactants (in partnership with Unilever)
- Performance-boosting nanoparticles
- Sensing in demanding chemical environments
- Label-free chemistries
- Pushing the frontiers of chemical innovation
This year’s edition of Imagine Chemistry is supported by Unilever, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF), seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds, venture capital firm Icos Capital, research and advisory firm Lux Research, multi-stakeholder collaboration Green Chemistry & Commerce Council, UK innovation agency Knowledge Transfer Network, Brazilian content portal Startupi, Dutch accelerator StartupDelta, the European Commission’s Enterprise Europe Network and S/park, the chemical technology-focused open innovation center located at Nouryon’s RD&I site in Deventer.
For more information, visit: www.nouryon.com
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