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:
We welcome chemistry-driven innovation relating to improving and maintaining health.
Topic inspiration:
- New drugs and therapies
- 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
- Antimicrobials
- Epigenetics
- Screening, collection enhancement and monitoring
- Sensors and microfluidics
- Novel taste-masking technologies for pharmaceuticals
We welcome chemistry-driven innovation relating to securing clean energy and preserving the environment.
Topic inspiration:
- Energy efficiency
- Energy conversion and storage
- Renewable fuels and renewable energy
- Low energy cleaning
- Waste minimisation
- Renewable feedstocks
- Environmental monitoring
- Fuel cell and battery technology
- Water/ air quality and purification
- Chemicals from carbon dioxide
- Carbon capture and storage
- Hydrogen storage and (bio)hydrogen production
We welcome chemistry-driven innovation relating to the sustainable production of safe and healthier food and drink.
Topic inspiration:
- Healthy food and nutrition
- Food safety
- Smart ingredients
- Novel delivery technologies
- Food and raw material authenticity, security and traceability
- Clean label
- Food ingredient stability and monitoring
- Crop protection and agricultural productivity
- Water quality
- Sustainable practices in process efficiency and waste minimisation
We welcome chemistry-driven ideas relating to developing advanced materials and enabling technologies for sustainable innovation.
Topic inspiration:
• Sustainability benefits in use
• Sustainable & smart packaging
• Polymers and coatings
• Delivery and encapsulation technology
• New technology for surface modification
• Soft matter materials
• Novel catalysts, including enzymes
• New composites
• Novel process technologies
• Novel characterisation methods
• Materials for extreme environments
• Crop protection and agricultural productivity
Eligibility criteria
- Applicants must be based in the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway or Iceland
- Applications from university entrepreneurs and spin outs
- Your technology/ideas must have a strong chemistry component and be relevant to the competition categories:
- Health
- Energy & Environment
- Food & Drink
- Enabling technologies
- Applications from small companies where the company must:
- have raised less than £/€2 million in grant and/or equity funding
- have less than 20 employees
- We advise that the technology you enter has some form of protection
