AMSTERDAM — Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) announced the 13 finalists for the 2019 edition of its Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation challenge. Imagine Chemistry was launched to tackle chemistry-related challenges and uncover new ways to create value for customers. The 2019 edition generated more than 160 innovative ideas from startups, scale-ups, university spinoffs and other potential partners.
Finalists in the Sustainable Bio-based Surfactants (in partnership with Unilever) category include CarbExplore Research in the Netherlands, Fraunhofer IGB in Germany, Sironix Renewables in the United States, and The University of Sheffield + Entomics in Great Britain. RISE in Sweden is a finalist in the Performance-Boosting Nanoparticles category, and Intelligent Fluids of Germany is a finalist in the Label-Free Chemistries category. In the Sending in Demanding Chemical Environments category, finalists include Arenal Process Control Solutions in the Netherlands, Fluence Analytics in the United States, and Ingu Solutions of Canada. In the Pushing the Frontiers of Chemical Innovation category, finalists include Altum Technologies in Finland, Cambridge Carbon Capture of the UK, Ionomr in Canada, and Kansas State University in the United States.