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Innovation Collaboration Day 2023
BASF invited applications from start-up enterprises and early-stage companies with innovative technologies to explore opportunities for collaboration. Shortlisted applicants were invited to pitch. Experts were excited by the strength, quality and variety of the projects.
BY EMMA GREGORY
An expert panel from BASF played host to 12 start-up enterprises, keen to discuss their innovative technologies and explore opportunities for collaboration at BASF’s Innovation Collaboration Day, held on 30-31 October 2023 in London. Early-stage companies were encouraged to apply and shortlisted businesses were invited to pitch their concepts to a rigorous and challenging team of BASF colleagues.
Today more than ever before, we are looking for answers to problems like climate change, scarcity of resources and nature restoration. And given the transformative action that is needed to tackle these challenges, it is becoming clear that the solutions will be found through partnership. As one of the most innovative chemical companies in the world, we know that chemistry will be key to this.
Applications were divided into five Innovation Categories (known as Clusters) that have a focus on sustainability: Carbon Capture and Utilisation; Green Energy Solutions; Agro Innovation; Circular Economy and Wildcard Solutions.
Commercial Director, BASF UK & Ireland, Darren Budd commented, “The UK is an attractive hub for innovation and R&D in sustainable solutions. BASF’s Innovation Collaboration Day aims to create a space for effective communication and the development of partnerships with innovators and the local start-up community working for a sustainable future.”
Vice President BASF UK & Ireland, Thomas Birk commented, “I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an application and congratulate all our shortlisted participants. From innovative battery materials to CO2 utilisation technologies, we have been delighted at the strength and quality of the entries and are excited about the variety of the shortlisted projects.”
BASF Innovation Collaboration Day expert panel are joined by colleagues from the organising team
The event is an opportunity for BASF to explore potential business opportunities in key areas of sustainability, and for the start-up community to benefit from networking with BASF representatives and other key innovators.
BASF in the UK has a strong track record in supporting R&D, from working with partners on new packaging solutions and carbon utilisation to supporting research in novel manufacturing approaches with academic institutions. We hope that the Innovation Collaboration Day will provide an opportunity to further explore innovative solutions in sustainability.
The BASF panel members will look to identify any areas of potential future collaboration.
A word from the candidates
We asked our shortlisted candidates what they thought of the event and why they had entered this year's Innovation Collaboration Day.
Take a look at some of their responses below.
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Bactobio
“Participating in the BASF Innovation Collaboration Day 2023 proved to be a captivating experience for Bactobio, where innovation seamlessly intertwined with inspiration. The event not only piqued our interest but also offered an invaluable platform for in-depth discussions. Presenting our innovation to a seasoned board of executives was truly enriching, highlighting the necessity for collaboration between experienced industry players and emerging startups. This collaboration is essential for designing groundbreaking solutions that can shape the future of our industry.”
Fabio Giulietto, Bactobio
Standard Gas Technologies Ltd
“Standard Gas Technologies Ltd sees the BASF Innovation Collaboration Day as a route to raising the profile of our company, and an opportunity to receive feedback on our many pathways to successful commercialisation from a global chemical industry giant and Net Zero champion.”
Peter Coombes, Head of Communications and Government Affairs, Standard Gas Technologies Ltd
AC Biode
"BASF shares AC Biode´s vision to create a better world with green chemistry."
Robert Kunzmann, COO, AC Biode
Ecospray
“We are delighted to participate in BASF's Innovation Collaboration Day. It is a unique opportunity for small businesses such as ourselves to show case our work but more importantly to potentially work with such a highly reputable business.
We hope we convince BASF and ultimately farmers that our product offering is unique and sustainable.”
Peter McDonald, CEO, Ecospray
CellMine
“Participating in BASF's Innovation Collaboration Day represents a strategic step for CellMine to immerse ourselves in the forefront of sustainable innovation. Our goal was to not only showcase our pioneering battery recycling and cathode development technologies but also to absorb cutting-edge trends and practices from global sustainability leaders. We're eager to harness this knowledge to refine our processes, drive the circular economy forward, and create lasting environmental impact through our commitment to responsible resource management.”
Simon Rathbone, CEO, CellMine
ViridiCO2
“ViridiCO2 has entered the Innovation Collaboration Day in order to learn about the challenges that BASF faces in transitioning to a more sustainable product portfolio, and how our innovative catalytic technology can enable BASF to utilise CO2 as a direct feedstock, whilst using less energy, to achieve their sustainability goals.”
Daniel Stewart, ViridiCO2
Supercritical
“Supercritical has entered this pitch event with one goal in mind: to ignite innovation through collaboration. We believe that together, we can harness the power of ideas, the spark of creativity, and the drive for positive change. We hope to learn, inspire, and co-create the future of sustainable solutions.”
Matt Bird, CEO & Co-Founder, Supercritical
Glaia Ltd
“Our photosynthetic promoters allow plants to utilise more light, increasing crop yields and enabling more sustainable agricultural practices. There’s no silver bullet that can solve the climate crisis, but we believe that the support of corporations like BASF is key to accelerating the adoption of game-changing technologies like ours.”
Dr David Benito-Alifonso, CEO, Glaia Ltd.
Bionema
"Bionema is honored to be among the select companies chosen to showcase our pioneering solutions before a distinguished BASF expert panel during the upcoming 'pitch' event on October 30th 2023 in the heart of London. Our mission is to drive the advancement of biological innovations, catalysing a more sustainable future for food production and protecting the environment."
Minshad, Bionema
Inition Energy
“We entered the Innovation Collaboration Day to deepen our relationship with BASF who we see as an important partner as we develop our technology to make battery production sustainable. We wanted to learn more about the ways in which we can add value to the work BASF does tackling climate change and enabling the green energy transition.”
Karl Peters, Inition Energy
HydRegen Limited
“The Innovation Collaboration Day was an excellent format to pitch our sustainable chemistry solution to a wide ranging panel from BASF from senior management and R&D representatives to business development and VC. It gave us the opportunity to really think about what a game-changing collaboration with one of the largest chemical companies could unlock.”
Dr Holly Reeve, CEO, HydRegen Limited
All photographs and quotes are given with the participants' consent. By publishing the photographs and quotes, BASF acknowledges the teams that were shortlisted for Innovation Collaboration Day 2023. The inclusion of this material does not guarantee an ongoing partnership with BASF.
For media enquiries or to repurpose this article, please contact Emma Gregory at emma.gregory@basf.com
Published 29 November 2023