Evonik Launches Innovation Factory

Evonik's Innovation Factory will operate as an entrepreneurial unit that accelerates the transformation of technological breakthroughs into industrial applications.

Evonik is restructuring its strategic research unit. Evonik Innovation Factory operates as an entrepreneurial development unit that accelerates the transformation of technological breakthroughs into industrial applications. Among the missions of the unit, which will succeed Creavis, are rapid innovation, market orientation and application relevance.

Christian Eilbracht, Chief Innovation Officer at Evonik, stated: "We are reorganizing our innovation system to significantly shorten the time from development to market launch. Innovation Factory reflects our commitment to converting world-class research into concrete industrial progress for both ourselves and our customers."

The new unit focuses on an important timeframe: each program is designed to be ready for operation and production, developed and transferred to one of Evonik's Business Lines within an average of five years. Axel Kobus, President of Evonik Innovation Factory, explained: "Innovation Factory operates according to the principle of 'building the next step.' To achieve this, Evonik will more closely integrate its own expertise with external inputs from academia, startup ecosystems and industry partners. This creates immediate industrial value by delivering technically and commercially more robust solutions that meet genuine market demands."

In terms of content, Innovation Factory focuses on areas where Evonik is already strong and areas where customers urgently need new solutions. One example is rhamnolipids: these highly effective and environmentally friendly biosurfactants are already used in cosmetics and cleaning products and offer many additional application possibilities. Evonik is continuing its work in this direction with determination: developing new biopolymers to replace fossil raw materials and working on anion exchange membranes (AEM), which are expected to play an important role in the green hydrogen economy in the future.

Innovation Factory is an integral part of Evonik's global research strategy. The company is strengthening its global presence in leading innovation ecosystems such as the Cambridge Innovation Satellite for Life Sciences in Boston (USA), biotechnology process solutions in Singapore and membrane activities in Shanghai (China). These centers provide access to new technologies and partnerships in relevant markets and ecosystems.

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