Partnership with University of Minnesota

Evonik signed an agreement with the University of Minnesota designating it as the company’s first strategic partner university in North America during the Evonik Meets Science event held in Pittsburgh, PA. With this agreement, Evonik will become an official member of the University’s Industrial Partnership for Research in Interfacial and Materials Engineering (IPRIME).

The University of Minnesota is one of America’s largest universities and was chosen as Evonik’s first partner university, outside of Germany, for their excellence in science and engineering research and education. This partnership gives Evonik access to state-of-art research facilities, technologies and high tech equipment. Research universities such as the University of Minnesota have emerged as a rich source of innovative technologies, specialized expertise, potential new hires and research partnerships.

"This partnership not only gives Evonik access to cutting-edge scientific research facilities, it also provides an excellent source of talented engineers and scientists, said Tom Bates, Evonik’s North American President. "It also has the potential to provide a pipeline of technologies in all three identified megatrends for Evonik – Resource Efficiency, Health & Nutrition, and Globalization,” Tom added.

Four programs of the University of Minnesota are key for Evonik – Biocatalysis and Biopolymers; Coating Process Fundamentals; Microstructured Polymers and Renewable Energy Materials.

Partnering with the University of Minnesota fits perfectly with Evonik’s Corporate Innovation Strategy and Management’s desire to strengthen ties to the research community in the United States and get Evonik scientifically on the map of chemistry in the region. "We are proud to join the IPRIME program of the University of Minnesota which offers access to research programs and fellowships,” Dr. Georg Oenbrink, Global head of Innovation Networks & Communications said.

The Corporate Innovation Strategy and Management team will continue to look at universities close to Evonik main sites in the region which offers a close relationship between chemistry, chemical engineering and materials science, helping to bring scientists and engineers together.