Emerging Technologies Competition goes European
After two successful years of identifying promising new technologies in the UK, in 2015 our Emerging Technologies Competition will be open to applications from small companies and academic researchers from across Europe for the first time. As in previous years, the aim of the competition is to reward the best new technology ideas in the chemical sciences. As the competition continues to grow, this year’s applications will be judged in three themed panels; healthcare, energy & sustainability, and materials science.
Opening up the competition to Europe is in line with our vision for the chemical sciences, explains our president, Dominic Tildesley. “We want to see an innovative chemistry sector flourish both in the UK and in the rest of Europe. Such a sector is founded on the sharing of ideas, skills, and support, and, in an increasingly connected and global economy, this has never been more important.
“Welcoming Continental European applicants to the Emerging Technologies Competition is just one way that we can realise this vision for chemistry, and we hope to see many applications from all across Europe.”
Benefit from tailored business support
Previous winners of the competition have benefited hugely from the prize package as they form long-lasting business relationships with our partners and raise their profile.
“The insight from working with our mentors at GlaxoSmithKline has been invaluable,” says Dr Eleanore Irvine from Biogelx, one of the winners of our inaugural competition in 2013. “We’ve now got a much earlier sense of how we need to change and develop the product.”
Dr Richard Ward from 2014 winner Catalytic Technologies adds: “Our mentor at Croda is brilliant – incredibly supportive and hugely keen to help us … we have made good progress.”
The feeling of mutual benefit for the winners as well as our competition partners is echoed by Dr Neil Lant from Procter & Gamble. He says: “We are super enthusiastic about helping [the winners] drive their technologies forward and … helping them find home in one of our products or in other industries.”
The impact of the competition is also demonstrated by the success that some of the winners have since had. For example, 2014 winner Dr Matthew Gibson from the University of Warwick was recently awarded €1.5m by the European Research Council to continue to develop his technology that mimics nature's own cold defence mechanisms to enable more efficient preservation of donated cells and tissues.
Designed to accelerate the commercialisation of the best chemical science technologies, the competition supports innovation in small companies and academia. This year’s nine winners will receive a tailored package of business support from leading multinational companies, extensive promotion and a cash prize for further development.
