December 06, 2024

Borealis Scientific Innovation Award 2024 winners announced

On December 4, 2024 Borealis proudly announced the winners of the Borealis Scientific Innovation Award 2024 (BSIA) at the Borealis Innovation Day in Linz, Austria.

As a global industry leader, Borealis is rewarding pioneering ideas since 2008 with the Borealis Scientific Innovation Award, celebrating groundbreaking innovations with the potential to significantly impact the world. This year’s focus was on new solutions for the environmentally sustainable production and use of plastics, underscoring Borealis’ commitment to sustainability and driving positive change in the industry.

Innovative thinkers from the professional and academic scientific communities, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and university researchers were invited to submit their ideas. The winners were selected by a distinguished panel from Borealis' research team, who meticulously evaluated all submissions.

This year, submissions were accepted in the following key areas:

  • New catalysts for sustainable production
  • Energy-efficient polymerization processes
  • Recycling of polymers
  • Polymeric materials for energy transition

Winners of the 2024 Borealis Scientific Innovation Award 2024

  • First place: Clement Collins Rice (University of Oxford, UK) “Towards designer polyolefins: highly tuneable olefin copolymerisation using a single permethyl-indenyl post-metallocene Catalyst”
  • Second place: Elisabetta Carrieri (Ghent University, Belgium) “Development of a solvent based recycling process for agricultural film”
  • Third place: Esun Selvam (University of Delaware, USA) “Recycling polyolefin plastic waste at short contact times via rapid joule heating”

In addition to receiving monetary prizes, the winners were invited to the Borealis Innovation Headquarters in Linz, Austria, where they participated in the award ceremony during the Borealis Innovation Day 2024. This event provided a unique opportunity to network with leading polymer scientists and Borealis management.

Call for Applications in 2025

The next call for applications for the BSIA will start in spring 2025. For more information on the BSIA, the application process and to draw inspiration from past winners, please visit the Borealis Scientific Innovation Award website.

END

This media release is also available in German language.

Photo: From left to right: Elisabetta Carrieri, Andreas Meinecke (Borealis), Clement Collins Rice, Nina Ackermans (Borealis), Esun Selvam, Rudolf Wölfer (Borealis)

Photo: From left to right: Elisabetta Carrieri, Andreas Meinecke (Borealis), Clement Collins Rice, Nina Ackermans (Borealis), Esun Selvam, Rudolf Wölfer (Borealis)

© Borealis

About Borealis
Borealis is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and sustainable polyolefin solutions. In Europe, Borealis is also an innovative leader in polyolefins recycling and a major producer of base chemicals. We leverage our polymer expertise and decades of experience to offer value-adding, innovative and circular material solutions for key industries such as consumer products, energy, healthcare, infrastructure and mobility.

With customers in over 120 countries and head office in Vienna, Austria, Borealis employs around 6,000 people. In 2023, we generated a net profit of EUR 216 million. OMV, the integrated energy, fuels & feedstock and chemicals & materials company headquartered in Vienna, Austria, owns 75% of our shares. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), owns the remaining 25%.

In re-inventing essentials for sustainable living, we build on our commitment to safety, our people, innovation and technology, and performance excellence. We are accelerating the transformation to a circular economy of polyolefins and expanding our geographical footprint to better serve our customers around the globe. Our operations are augmented by two important joint ventures: Borouge (with ADNOC, headquartered in the UAE); and Baystar™ (with TotalEnergies, based in the US).
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