Eligibility criteria
The competition is free to apply to and we welcome applicants from the UK and Europe whose tech have a strong component of chemistry and falls in one of the following categories:
- enabling technologies
- environment
- energy
- health
→ See more on these categories
Also:
- Applicants must be based in the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway or Iceland
- Applications from university entrepreneurs and spin-outs
- Applications from small companies where the company must:
- have raised less than £/€1 million equity funding (excluding grant funding)
- have less than 20 employees
- Your technology/ideas must have a strong chemistry component and be relevant to the competition categories:
- Enabling Technologies
- Energy
- Environment
- Health
- We advise that the technology you enter has some form of protection
Competition categories
We welcome chemistry-led technologies that enable the creation or improvement of products and services across a wide product scope, potentially in combination with other complementary technologies.
Topic inspiration:
• Nanotechnology
• AI and novel digital chemistry
• Smart materials, packaging, and ingredients
• Polymers, composites, and coatings
• Novel delivery and encapsulation technology
• New technology for surface modification
• Soft matter materials
• Novel catalysts, including enzymes
• Novel process technologies
• Novel characterisation and analysis methods
• Materials for extreme environment
We welcome chemistry driven innovation for new processes and products that deliver significant energy generation, efficiency, or storage improvements, supporting sustainable energy as part of our transition to NetZero.
Topic inspiration:
• Renewable energy
• Energy efficiency
• Energy conversion and storage
• Fuel cells
• Battery technology
• Hydrogen storage and (bio)hydrogen production
• Low carbon heating
• Carbon capture, storage, and utilisation
• Solar energy
• Cleaner fuels and lubricants
• Energy efficient buildings
• New fuels eg biofuels
We welcome chemistry-enabled innovations to conserve resources, monitor and reduce the impact on the environment or support the move to a circular economy.
Topic inspiration:
• Resource efficiency and waste minimisation
• Recycling technologies
• Substitution of toxic or hazardous materials
• Environmental monitoring, analysis and remediation
• Substitution of critical and scarce materials
• Pollution control and remediation
• Air: quality and purification
• Water: capture, quality, purification and recycling
• Renewable feedstocks and formulations
• Crop protection and agricultural productivity
• Sustainable agriculture
• Circular food systems
• Future food eg alternative proteins, nutrition
We welcome chemistry-driven innovation to ensure healthier lives and maintain well-being for all and at all ages, including global healthcare challenges such as COVID.
Topic inspiration:
• Antimicrobial resistance
• New drugs and therapies
• Infectious disease
• Personalised medicine
• Tissue engineering
• & regenerative medicine
• Nutrition & obesity
• Personalised medicine
• Devices for drug delivery
• Targeted drug delivery
• Novel modes of drug administration for paediatrics and geriatrics
• Diagnostic devices (in vivo and in vitro)
• New technologies for infection prevention
• Screening, collection enhancement and monitoring
• Measurements, sensors, and microfluidics
How to apply
Watch this space for how to apply when the competition opens for nominations on 20 February 2023!
You can sign up now for alerts to remind you to enter.
Register your interest
2023 Competition Partners
We are delighted to have the support from some of the most recognised companies in the chemical sciences industry
