Turn your innovative ideas into reality with Imagine Chemistry 2019

Posted on: 18/12/2018

The Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation program provides SMEs with an opportunity to work as equal partners with Nouryon.

Nouryon have announced that the submission deadline has been extended by 1 week to Friday 15th March 2019.

Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) are looking for ways to create a more sustainable future through chemistry. They believe that collaboration will help them to be the best company they can be and lead the way to a more sustainable chemical industry. They are inviting your team to work with them as equal partners to tackle some of the most urgent chemistry-related challenges, by taking part in their Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation program.

KTN hosted a free webinar on 4th February 2019, where participants were able to ask questions and find out more about the Imagine Chemistry program.

KTN also hosted a webinar in partnership with Nouryon in December 2018 to explain how the Imagine Chemistry program works and outline the challenge areas for 2019. If you are interested in this program, but missed the webinar, you can view the recording here.

Note: The challenge “From plastic waste to valuable feedstock” mentioned in the webinar has been removed from the 2019 programme, and a new challenge on “Label-free chemistries” has been added to the programme.

Click here for video

Recording of the KTN and Nouryon webinar on the Imagine Chemistry 2019 collaborative innovation program.

From 8th January until 8th March 2019 teams of Nouryon experts will work with everyone who submits an idea through the Imagine Chemistry platform to understand their idea, suggest improvements, and explore potential fits with Nouryon’s business. At the end of this two-month period, a jury of Nouryon business and R&D leaders and external experts will select the 20 most promising ideas to participate in a three-day event from 21st May to 24th May 2019 in Deventer, the Netherlands.

You can find out more about the challenges below, and you can visit the Imagine Chemistry website here.

Performance-boosting nano particles

Do you have the small particle solution to enhance the performance of Nouryon’s customers‚Äô products?

Nouryon is a leading supplier of nano-sized particles designed to enhance product or process performance in a tremendous range of applications, for example by making paints and coatings dirt-repellent, enhancing the properties of concrete, providing carriers for catalysts that clean car exhaust, or preparing ultrasmooth surfaces of chips used in modern electronics equipment.

You can find out more about this challenge by downloading this flyer.

Sensing in demanding environments

Will your innovative sensing solution help Nouryon’s demanding chemical processes approach 100% resource efficiency?

Nouryon has spent decades optimising the performance of their chemical plants, making them more efficient, sustainable, and safer along the way. However, to make a step change in productivity, they need a more complete understanding of their processes. To achieve this, they need sensors which continuously monitor the chemistry in each process as well as the behaviour of the factory equipment. This requires novel sensors that can withstand the corrosive environment of their plants.

You can find out more about this challenge by downloading this flyer.

Label-free chemistries

How can your novel label-free chemistry safely and simultaneously control interface and fluid properties for our customers?

Nouryon deliver essential chemistry to many markets that require control of surface and interface behaviour, rheology, and other physical properties. For example, they help make ice cream smooth, household cleaning products effective, and paint splatter less when applied.

Nouryon’s customers and end-users increasingly ask for multifunctional, ‚Äúlabel-free‚Äù products, i.e. products with simple(r) ingredients which do not require (chemical warning) labelling. Nouryon wants to meet and exceed their expectations by developing new technologies in fluid and interface science through partnership. The technologies may be particles, polymers, discrete molecules, mixtures, or even combinations of these if that yields synergistic performance. In any case they should allow manipulation and control of things like nano- and microstructures, surface tension, and viscosity. Ultimately Nouryon’s aim is to deliver desired customer functionalities such as dirt removal, rheology, improved application behaviour of paint or plaster, abrasion resistance, and more.

You can find out more here.

Sustainable bio-based surfactants for everyone

How can we together make 100% bio-based and zero-hazard surfactants accessible worldwide?

Surfactants are used worldwide in daily life, in applications including agriculture, cleaning, personal care, fuels, mining and oilfield chemicals, and water treatment. Nouryon serves the €15 billion specialty surfactants market, and they aim to continue to meet the market’s evolving demands in a sustainable manner.

Their customers and governments continue to put a higher demand on renewable sourcing and non-hazardous products. While many of their surfactants are biodegradable and about 50% of their raw materials are bio-based, they need to push this towards 100% bio-based to truly minimise their environmental impact. Furthermore, for some of their applications reducing toxicity remains an urgent challenge.

You can find out more about this challenge by downloading this flyer.

Share this article

Close

Connect with Innovate UK Business Connect

Join Innovate UK Business Connect's mailing list to receive updates on funding opportunities, events and to access Innovate UK Business Connect's deep expertise. Please check your email to confirm your subscription and select your area(s) of interest.