Benzocaine Innovation Power
Together with Evonik, discover new ways to create and develop a promising specialty chemical which could help us provide better products for our daily lives.
With your ideas, unleash the potential of chemical methods or materials to empower Benzocaine (Et-PABA), and take part in Evonik’s discovery journey in the world of specialty chemicals.
✅ Completed 🏁 Winner Congrats to Roman, PABArotti & Friends and Julius, great effort!
🏆 Prize €10.000 + Evonik as a client or cooperation partner in business or research + Research scholarships
Submission
In the qualification phase, Evonik’s main goal is to identify the most promising solutions and concepts. To make this possible, at least one document needs to be submitted.
For each individual track, we provide a submission form that you need to fill out and hand in. In that form, you can specify your personal background as well as your solution or findings in detail. The information we ask you to provide in the form must be filled out completely.
Furthermore, you can support your submission with everything you want: From more detailed concepts, videos, explanations or references to important resources such as scientific peer-reviewed papers and or patents, and all kind of content you consider relevant for your submission, everything can be added.
You can find the submission templates via the following links:
Track 1 - Identify a supplier
Track 2 - Alternative production methods
Track 3 - PABA Substitute
Track 4 - Benzocaine (Et-PABA) Substitute
Key Questions
The following questions should help you to find the right track for your participation and help you to have a better focus of what is asked for.
Track 1: Identify an efficient supplier/manufacturer
- Which manufacturer can produce PABA with a purity of at least 95% in a cost-effective way?
- Can manufacturers use their capabilities and adapt them for an optimized PABA or benzocaine (Et-PABA) production?
- Which manufacturers can produce benzocaine (Et-PABA) more cost-effective than usual on the market?
Track 2: Offer or develop alternative production methods
- By what means can PABA be produced with 95% purity in a more cost-efficient way?
- Which production resources would be required or rearranged to achieve more cost-efficient manufacturing?
- By what means can you produce Benzocaine (Et-PABA) in a cost-efficient way, and what would be required to achieve that?
Track 3: Develop a PABA substitute
- Can a substance be developed that is similar to PABA in its chemical structure?
- Are there possible options to replace PABA as a synthesis substance for Benzocaine (Et-PABA)?
Track 4: Develop a Benzocaine (Et-PABA) substitute
- Can a substance be created, that is similar to Benzocaine (Et-PABA) in its Chemical structure?
Directions that should NOT be followed
Approaches presenting a substance which does not have the same chemical properties as the Benzocaine (Et-PABA) or PABA described are not suitable. You can find more information on the substances exact chemical composition in the details tab.
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation criteria for the ECRP are defined as follows (ranking from 0 – 10, all criteria have the same weight):
Creativity
The proposal is unknown to Evonik so far in the way that it shows a high degree of creativity and represents a new approach for Evonik from the research or supply chain side
Probability of technical and commercial success
There is a high chance of technical and commercial success to be expected if the proposed research concept can be successfully realized.
Quality of project proposal
The project proposal is well explained and contains all information necessary to describe actual research status; all relevant documents are referenced; clear description of what is planned to be done, when and with which resources.
Open innovation & collaborative research approach
There is a clear description of research groups, contractual partners and/or experts to be involved besides own research group and Evonik during the research project proposed