Meet the Buyer: Pitch your solutions to CDT (Cambridge Display Technology)

What is their business?

CDT was spun out in 1992 from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Co. (SCC) in 2007. As the European Research and Development arm of global chemicals giant Sumitomo Chemical, CDT identifies, evaluates and incubates new technologies leading to future product lines for SCC.

As well as working on our own research projects (which span from wave guide materials to water scarcity; from smart sensors to squeezed cities), in 2020 a new Corporate Venturing and Innovation activity was started within CDT, actively looking for new technologies and start-up companies that will help solve the challenges of society through the creation of innovation and new value, in synergy with SCC’s business.

We are interested in many areas of new technology, our innovation interest focuses on four priority areas: 1) Healthcare, 2) Environment and Energy, 3) Food, 4) Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Our work within these areas aligns with our parent company’s business philosophy to “contribute society through our business activities”. As a part of this approach, we are closely working with representatives from SCC to support our global decarbonization efforts towards carbon neutrality.

See more at: https://sumitomochemicaleurope.eu/cambridge-display-technology/

What are they looking for?

CDT is currently looking for solutions, services and technologies in the field of Agri-tech with a focus on:

• Soil Carbon Sequestration
• Biological derived alternatives for crop protection (e.g. pheromones, non-GMO microbes, peptides, oligos)
• Biostimulants/Biofertilisers (e.g. non-GMO nitrogen fixing bacteria)
• Technologies that enable biomanufacturing of biological Ag products
• Biochar
• Woody waste biomass utilisation
• Soil remediation
• Technologies that could promote biodiversity (e.g. omics)

Countries: CDT is open for applications from companies worldwide

TRL: CDT is interested in applications from companies that are currently at TRL 3 and above.

What can CDT offer to your company?

The Corporate Venturing and Innovation (CVI) team in CDT works closely with Sumitomo Chemical’s (SCC) business units and plays the role of innovation incubator and facilitator. Our goal is to create long term partnership between start-ups and SCC and to foster collaborations that benefit both parties.

We work with start-up companies to evaluate the suitability of their technology for Sumitomo Chemical’s targets, and building the pathway for technology adoption. In this role, CDT can offer support in development of technologies for new market applications through collaborative and funded proof of concept projects.

Once technical suitability has been shown, the CVI team can offer an introduction to the relevant business unit within Sumitomo Chemical. This could give the selected start-up an opportunity to collaborate with Sumitomo Chemical and benefit from its expertise in scaling up technologies and placing new products on the market.

How can you apply?

If you are interested in this opportunity, please fill the form below, or contact camila.vila@cambridgecleantech.org.uk if you have any inquiries.