Covestro Global Energy Curing Innovation Center’s Open Ceremony at NCU

• The Center holds a great responsibility for Covestro’s R&D in resin synthesis and fiber optic coating
• As an industry-academia cooperation project with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, this is the first global research center of a foreign enterprise in Taiwan to be located on a university campus

The Covestro Global Energy Curing Innovation Center hosted its inauguration ceremony at the National Central University (NCU) today. The Center will be shouldering a great responsibility for R&D in resin synthesis and fiber optic coating for the Covestro Group. The well-equipped Center, covering an area of over 1,322 square meters, is one of Covestro’s global cutting-edge R&D centers. This industry-academia cooperation project with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology will develop products for the future with NCU and become the first global research center of a foreign enterprise in Taiwan to be located on a university campus.

Covestro is one of the technology leaders in the field of UV energy curing technology, holding numerous patents, and is the no.1 player worldwide in optical fiber coatings. The company’s technology has very beneficial life cycle assessment (LCA) performance in the coating field. It can cure coatings easily and instantly without solvents, using light sources such as UV. UV-curable resin can be used on a wide range of coating applications, such as fiber optic cables, solar panels, electronic materials, ink printing, floors, protective coating for premium wood items, and others.

“The vision of Covestro is to become fully circular. In order to achieve that vision, we will need to have many more successful innovations and technology developments,” said Konraad Dullaert, VP Research & Development, BE CA Coatings and Adhesives, Covestro. “For the coatings and adhesives business unit, the UV technology is a key technology, as it provides lower carbon footprint coating solutions for our customers and for the planet.”

“UV technology is important as it can be applied in various applications and make them more sustainable,” said Aukje Doornbos, Head of ECS, BE Coatings and Adhesives of Covestro, “and one of the key applications is in the telecoms industry, because with a UV coating on a thin fiber of glass, the signal can then go through an optical fiber to enable the internet.”

Dr. Jou Jing-Yang, President of NCU, indicates “We are particularly grateful to the former NCU Vice President Lii Kwang-Hwa, who was the driving force behind the NCU-Covestro collaboration project. Material science is a cross-disciplinary subject involved in the integration of matter properties and applications. It is closely related to our daily lives. Many of our outstanding teaching and research teams at NCU are devoted to this field. NCU and Covestro will establish a new model for collaborations between top universities and international enterprises. We hope to encourage even more domestic and foreign companies and university teaching and research teams to participate in industry-academia collaboration.”

“As the German representative in Taiwan, I’m happy to see a well-known German company collaborating with a local university,” said Dr. Jörg Polster, Director General of the German Institute Taipei. “This will help the academy to integrate with the world market and let the world see the innovative power of Taiwan.”

“We are honored to have the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology and to be stationed in the National Central University,” said Michael Lee, Managing Director of Covestro Taiwan, “so as to engage in in-depth industry-academia collaboration and to contribute together to make the world a brighter.”

Troy Shao, Vice Presidentof Covestro RFM APAC and the initiator of the Covestro-NCU collaboration, stated that open innovation is the key to success, and that he hopes that the mutually beneficial industry-academia collaboration between Covestro and NCU will create more opportunities as well as a new mindset between industries and academies.

With numerous cutting-edge patents and many product developments that Covestro already have in the pipeline, the company has identified several topics below to work with NCU, including the development of photo-initiators, biomass materials, and even more sustainable catalysts, as well as exploring the possibilities of photo electronics. NCU and Covestro will use advantages from both industry and academia, and industry talent through the dedication of the teaching and research team of faculty and students. Covestro and NCU hope that this collaboration will result in high-value research achievements in polymer chemistry. The two partners also hope that there will be more partnerships in the future through this model, so that they can make the effort to upgrade the industry in Taiwan, put education into practical use, and make a contribution towards global sustainable development goals.

About Covestro:

Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, cosmetics and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.

The company is committed to becoming fully circular and aims to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2). Covestro generated sales of around EUR 15.9 billion in fiscal 2021. At the end of 2021, the company had 50 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,900 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).

Forward-looking statements