Chemicals giant Evonik is revamping its strategic research operations with the launch of the Evonik Innovation Factory, a unit designed to fast-track technological breakthroughs into industrial applications.
The Innovation Factory, successor to Creavis, carries a bold mandate: speed, market relevance, and tangible industrial impact.
"We are aligning our innovation system to significantly shorten the time from development to market launch," says Christian Eilbracht, Chief Innovation Officer at Evonik. "The Innovation Factory is our promise to turn excellent research into tangible industrial progress – for both ourselves and our customers."
A core feature of the new unit is a strict development timeline. Each program is targeted to reach operational readiness within an average of five years, at which point it can be transferred to an Evonik Business Line.
"The Innovation Factory operates according to a clear principle: 'Building what's next.' To achieve this, Evonik will integrate its own expertise even more closely with external impulses from academia, startup ecosystems, and industry partners. This results in technically and commercially more resilient solutions that deliver immediate industrial value and meet real market demands," says Axel Kobus, Head of the Evonik Innovation Factory.
The unit will focus on areas where Evonik already has a competitive edge and where customers urgently need new solutions. One key example is rhamnolipids, highly effective and environmentally friendly biosurfactants already used in cosmetics and cleaning products, with wider potential applications.
The company is also expanding into biopolymers to replace fossil raw materials and anion exchange membranes (AEM), expected to play a critical role in the green hydrogen economy.
Globally, the Innovation Factory strengthens Evonik’s presence in leading innovation hubs—from Boston, USA, with the Cambridge Innovation Satellite for Life Sciences, to Singapore for biotech process solutions, and Shanghai, China, for membrane technology. These sites offer access to cutting-edge technologies, top talent, and strategic partnerships.
