Chemicals company Evonik is realigning its strategic research unit. The Evonik Innovation Factory operates as an entrepreneurial development unit, accelerating the transition of technological breakthroughs into industrial applications. As the successor to Creavis, it has a clear mandate: innovation with speed, market focus, and application relevance.
"We are aligning our innovation system to significantly shorten the time from development to market launch," says Christian Eilbracht, Chief Innovation Officer at Evonik. "The Innovation Factory is our promise to turn excellent research into tangible industrial progress – for both ourselves and our customers."
The heart of the new unit is a mandatory timeframe: each program is designed to be developed within an average of five years to the point where Evonik can transfer it to a Business Line – ready for operations and production."The Innovation Factory operates according to a clear principle: 'Building what's next.' To achieve this, Evonik will integrate its own expertise even more closely with external impulses from academia, startup ecosystems, and industry partners. This results in technically and commercially more resilient solutions that deliver immediate industrial value and meet real market demands," says Axel Kobus, Head of the Evonik Innovation Factory.
In terms of content, the Innovation Factory focuses on areas where Evonik already has established strengths and where customers urgently need new solutions. One example is rhamnolipids: these highly effective yet exceptionally environmentally friendly biosurfactants are already used in cosmetic and cleaning products and offer many additional applications. Evonik is now consistently pursuing this path: with a new portfolio of biopolymers that can replace fossil raw materials, and the development of anion exchange membranes (AEM), which are expected to play a key role in the green hydrogen economy in the future.
The Innovation Factory is an integral part of Evonik's global research strategy. It strengthens the company's global presence in leading innovation ecosystems – from Boston (USA) with the Cambridge Innovation Satellite for Life Sciences, to Singapore with biotech process solutions, and Shanghai (China) with membrane activities. Together, these sites provide access to new technologies, talent, and partnerships in relevant markets and ecosystems.