Chemistry Means Business 2018
Transferring from university studies and academic research to a commercial word can be a difficult step. However, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s flagship event is helping start-ups and SMEs get a foothold in the market.
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s flagship conference for entrepreneurs, Chemistry Means Business, is an annual event run for SMEs to help them create business relationships and start collaborations with other like-minded companies. Larger chemical companies were also present looking for the next innovation to help further their business. Collaboration in innovation seemed key.
The conference was made up of presentations from about 40 different companies, each trying to win the Emerging Technology prizes on offer. Each prize of £10,000 is aimed to help fund further development and commercialisation of the winning ideas.
The presentations were split into four main categories – food and drink; health, energy and environment; and materials and enabling technologies. The companies presenting showcased some fascinating technology, ranging from detecting poisons in drinking water to “smart” wound dressings which fluoresce when a wound is infected. It was evident that innovation in the chemical sector is very strong.
It was satisfying to see that IP formed a major part of the presenters’ business models and to see the potential value that a pending patent application (or granted patent) can have, in particular on the value of an SME and on their prospects of collaborating with larger multinational companies.
The quality of the presentations was excellent, and we are looking forward to seeing how these technologies develop over the next few years.
