Competition timeline
| 11 May 2020 | Applications open |
| 12 July 2020 | Applications close |
| August 2020 | Finalists announced |
| 28 September 2020 | Finalists present their technology* |
*The live final will now be taking place online, if you are shortlisted you will need to be available for the full day on 28 September.
Helpful resources
Check out our Youtube playlist that has a series of videos from our judges and programme manager sharing their top tips for a stand out application, what innovation and technologies are exciting them and in depth Q&As with a selection of judges.
The competition is free to apply and we welcome applicants from 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
• Applications from university entrepreneurs and spin outs
• Applications from small companies:
- Company must have less than £/€2 million turnover
- Company must have less than 20 employees
• Technologies/ ideas must have a strong chemistry component and relevant to the competition categories: Health/ Energy & Environment/ Food & Drink/ Enabling technologies.
• Applicant must be based in UK, EU, Switzerland, Norway or Iceland.
• We advise that the technology you enter has some form of protection.
