A Dutch multinational is looking for life science technologies like bio-active ingredients to improve the performance and innovative features to their coatings and paints.

A Dutch multinational is experts in the craft of making paints and coatings, setting the standard in colour and protection since centuries. Their world class portfolio of brands is trusted by customers around the globe. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company operates in over 80 countries and employs around 35,000 people. The company’s paints and coatings can be regarded as the highest quality since they are based on centuries of research and experience, largely in traditional chemistry. As a paints and coatings company, that inspiration is obviously found in the colours and effects they are responsible for bringing into people’s lives. Most things in people’s daily life are painted or coated (e.g. from the walls and furniture inside our home, car, the bridge we use, our office building and even mobile phone). Now, the company is looking for inspiration in the world around, wants to explore new fields of innovation and is looking for collaboration with partners to build out from the traditional space. The company believes that the actual paint and coating formulations they create and the technology that makes them possible, can also be inspired by nature, biology and the evolution of living organisms. Therefore the company is looking for infusing life science technologies (e.g. bio-active ingredients) or even bio-inspired, bio-mimetics or structural colour (colour developed according nature) solutions, to enhance the performance of their products, provide additional benefits and improved sustainable functionalities. The following can be envisioned: By adding bio-active ingredients (e.g. bioactive peptides, enzymes, micro-organisms) into the mix and merging them with conventional technology, the company wants to create new products. For example, bio-active ingredients that act as bio-active catalysts, replacing biocides and providing additional features in resins and coatings. The company is looking for cooperation with partners that can supply and help develop life science technologies such as bio-active ingredients and which significantly impact and control the performance and sustainable functionalities of their paints and coatings. They are looking for solutions and clear proofs of concept which help bring better performance or innovative features to their coatings and paints. Cooperation with partners such as institutes, universities and companies would be in the frame of a research or a technical cooperation agreement. For the company it is a new territory but they are eager to explore the unknown together with their foreseen partners. Infusing their paints and coatings with the life science solutions developed has a potential to create new, exciting and sustainable products. IMPORTANT NOTE: This technology request is an innovation challenge and is published on an open innovation platform until the 1th of March 2019. If an organization does express interest in cooperation with this firm before closing date, it will be guided towards this open innovation platform on which one can get in touch with the company experts. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential. Beside open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After that, the firm will select the partner with whom they would like to cooperate in the development of a solution. Once the challenge is closed, EOI's for this technology request will be treated in the traditional way.