Polyurethane Innovation Award Program
Each year, CPI presents the Polyurethane Innovation Award program, which highlights the role that innovation plays in the polyurethane industry and recognizes companies and individuals whose vision and perseverance bring new products, technologies and initiatives to the marketplace. We are proud of our industry’s continued leadership in innovative solutions and advances in technology and are excited to announce that this year’s Innovation Award winner was Huntsman Corporation and Pursell Agri-Tech’s PurActive™ - built with the RIMLINE® polyurethane system. CPI presented the Innovation Award at the 2021 Polyurethanes Technical Conference at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, CO on October 7, 2021.
The Huntsman team is pleased to accept the 2021 Polyurethane Innovation Award. Years of planning and joint development have led to this moment and it is a well-deserved accomplishment for both the Huntsman and Pursell Agri-Tech teams. Through the development of PurActive™ polyurethane-based, controlled-release fertilizer coating, built with the RIMLINE® polyurethane system, it is possible to positively impact the world food crisis, a growing issue after the pandemic. We are excited about what this technology brings to the world and the magnitude of issues it can potentially solve.
We are thrilled that Pursell Agri-Tech and Huntsman have won the CPI Innovation Award, especially among so many impressive entries. We look forward to leveraging this innovative technology in partnership with Huntsman to create a positive impact on sustainable agriculture on a global basis.
Eligibility for the 2021 Polyurethane Innovation Award:
Entries must have qualified for each of the following criteria:
- Products entered must have entered the market, for the first time, between June 16, 2018 and June 15, 2021.
- Entries submitted in a previous year are not eligible for resubmission.
- Entries pertaining to a polyurethane product or polyurethane manufacture are required to relate to polyurethane chemistry, which the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) expressly defines, for purposes of this Award, as the reaction of an isocyanate with a polyol. Innovations in polyurethane chemistry could include finished products, initiatives, training or education programs, or processes or processing equipment.
Submission Date:
All entries were due for submission by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 15, 2021. Selected finalists were notified in August of 2021.
Selection of Finalists:
A panel of judges, comprised of experts representing technical disciplines and the polyurethane supply chain, will evaluate all eligible submissions. Judges will evaluated and scored all entries based on impact on the polyurethanes industry, uniqueness of the innovation, quality of the science and societal impact. The three submissions with the highest scores were selected as finalists for the 2021 Polyurethane Innovation Award.
Voting Process:
Voting for the Polyurethane Innovation Award took place during the Opening Session at the or equivalent of the 2021 Polyurethanes Technical Conference (Conference) on Tuesday, October 5. Each individual Conference registrant could cast one vote for one finalist. The finalist with the most votes will received an additional 20 points to be added to the judges’ score. The Innovation with the highest total score will be deemed the winner and announced on Thursday, October 7, 2021, during conclusion of the Conference at the Awards Luncheon or equivalent.
The Polyurethane Innovation Award Winner
The winner is:
- Presented an award during the Awards Luncheon of the Polyurethanes Technical Conference;
- Announced in a CPI news release distributed to the media;
- Featured on the Innovation Award page of the CPI website through which visitors will be able to learn more about the innovation;
- Provided use of the Polyurethane Innovation Award logo to showcase its achievement;
- Provided one complimentary registration to the following year's Conference;
- Showcased at the following year's Polyurethanes Technical Conference.
All materials submitted in support of an Innovation Award application are not returned. By submitting an application, the applicant grants CPI an unlimited, unrestricted, royalty-free license to use submitted application materials for purposes of promoting the Polyurethanes Technical Conference and/or Polyurethane Innovation Award program in any medium.