Press release
Corporate Press
June 16, 2016

Evonik’s first Entrepreneurship Award to an employee

  • An Evonik physicist plans to research intelligent inks
  • The winner gets one year and the funds to develop the idea to business level
  • With the Group-wide "Global Ideation Jam" ideas contest and the Entrepreneurship Award, Evonik is taking new routes to innovation


Dr. Marta Canas-Ventura, who holds a degree in physics and works as a business developer at Evonik Industries, has received Evonik’s first Entrepreneurship Award for her idea of intelligent inks that show whether medication has been stored correctly. The formulation of the ink means that its color changes under the influence of heat or light, thus indicating whether the product quality has been affected by improper storage. Her idea won out over the proposals of five other competitors in the company. Chairman of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries, Klaus Engel, presented the award at the Zollverein World Heritage Site in Essen on Tuesday and so set the ball rolling for further development of the idea. Canas-Ventura will spend one year working to bring the idea to market readiness as an "entrepreneur in the enterprise". Evonik will support research and business development to the tune of €200,000.

"For innovations we need creative and courageous employees with entrepreneurial spirit, who can take the odd setback in their stride. With commitment, passion, and endurance they will finally translate their idea into success. I’m confident that Dr. Canas-Ventura will achieve just that," said Engel at the award ceremony.

The six finalists were selected in the Global Ideation Jam ideas contest. About 300 employees from all over the world participated via an IT platform, submitting 84 ideas, of which six qualified for the final. The participants prepared optimally for the event in a workshop where they further developed their project proposals jointly with experts. In this way ideas were transformed into concrete business models and then into business plans. The Global Ideation Jam is part of Evonik’s culture of open innovation and seeks specifically to identify employees with ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.

Company information

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders
in specialty chemicals. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms.

Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2015 more than 33,500 employees generated sales of around €13.5 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of about €2.47 billion.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.