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Innovation & Technology Request

Dutch multinational is looking for smart technology that can make their chemical plants more intelligent, more resource efficient and safer.

Country of Origin: Netherlands
Reference Number: TRNL20180103001
Publication Date: 17 January 2018

Summary

The Dutch multinational company is a major worldwide producer of specialty chemicals.
The company is looking for new technologies or novel ideas which can drastically improve the performance of their plants. They want to explore the use of new technologies like sensors, wearables, augmented reality, and new algorithms. 
Cooperation would be in the frame of a technical cooperation agreement, a research cooperation agreement or any other form that fits the purpose of this challenge.

Description

The Dutch multinational company is a major producer of specialty chemicals, supplying essential ingredients to industries and consumers worldwide.

Their products can be found in the food you eat, the buildings you live and work in, the vehicles and roads you use to get around, and everyday items like paper products and in children’s toys.



They have spent the past 60 years optimizing the performance of their chemical plants, making them more efficient, sustainable, and safer along the way. However, to make a step change in productivity, as well as to reach the ambitious safety and sustainability goals they have set for their sites, they need to incorporate new technologies. They know that exciting technologies are being developed in completely different fields, such as digital technology, and are becoming more accessible to them, and they want to tap into these opportunities.



Issues to consider

The company cannot simply redesign and replace their existing assets, as the cost are in the order of billions. Furthermore, smart – digital – technology is not part of their core business; they need outside expertise to realize the potential of such technology within the world of chemistry.

The company is looking for startups with new technologies or novel ideas which can drastically improve the performance of their plants. 



What are they NOT looking for?

For this technology request they are not trying to find new chemical processes.



Criteria

•Relevance to sustainability

•Can be applied in, or complements, existing manufacturing processes

•More than just an idea: development is in a pilot stage or an early stage with a clear proof of concept.

•Fit to current technologies and markets of the company

•Impact of the idea in the short term (revenue, quality, scalability, time to market, etc.)

•Quality and maturity of the team



Cooperation with partners could be in the frame of applying ready-made solutions up to a jointly developed solution, matching with a research agreement or a technical cooperation agreement or any other form that fits the purpose of this challenge.



This technology request is an innovation challenge and is published on an open innovation platform until March 10th 2018. If an organisation does express interest in cooperation with this firm before that date, it will be guided towards this open innovation platform on which one can get in touch via a chat function with the company. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential.

Beside open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After March 10th, the firm will select the SME's with the most promising solutions for a 3-day collaborative event in which they bring in all relevant experts needed.



Once the challenge is closed, EOI's for this technology request will be treated in the usual way.

Expertise sought

New technologies like sensors, wearables, augmented reality, and new algorithms which can drastically improve the performance of chemical plants.

Stage Of Development

Available for demonstration

Stage Of Development Comment

The company wants to explore the use of new technologies either existing from other industries or in the pilot/demo stage (or even early stage, if there is a proof of concept already), with a goal of implementing within 3 to 5 years.

Requested partner

Type of partners: 

Startups and other innovators with new technologies or novel ideas which can drastically improve the performance of chemical plants.



Type of collaboration and role of partners: 

The Dutch multinational wants to work together as equal partners, under shared-Intellectual Property conditions, this could be in the form of:

-	Technical cooperation agreement

-	Research cooperation agreement 

or any other form that fits the purpose of this challenge.



The challenge offers several support awards in the fields of entrepreneurship and/or chemistry