The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council today opened the call for entries for its 2014 Polyurethane Innovation Award. This award recognizes visionary technologies in the global polyurethanes industry and commercialized the previous year.
Nominations for this year's award must be submitted to CPI no later than 5 p.m. EDT on June 18. Click here for the award rules and entry form. The award winner will be announced during the 2014 Polyurethanes Technical Conference, which will be held Sept. 22 to 24 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Dallas.
"Each year, we are impressed by the breadth and depth of innovation in the polyurethanes industry and its downstream partners," said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. "CPI's Polyurethane Innovation Award seeks to recognize the exciting and visionary technologies, products and initiatives being developed around the world."
The 2013 Innovation Award winner, Romeo RIM, Inc.'s Class A, In-mold Decorated Long Fiber Injection, will also be showcased at this year's conference.
Eligibility
Award entries in polyurethane chemistry may include raw materials, finished products, initiatives, training or education programs, or processes or processing equipment. Entries pertaining to a polyurethane product or polyurethane manufacturing must relate to polyurethane chemistry, defined as the reaction of an isocyanate with a polyol.
Entries must represent innovations that have not previously been submitted for consideration for the Innovation Award and have not been available for commercial sales longer than 15 months prior to June 18, 2014.
Award selection
All eligible submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges comprised of experts representing technical disciplines and the polyurethane supply chain. Judges will determine three finalists from the entries based on impact on the polyurethanes industry, uniqueness of the innovation, quality of the science and societal impact.
Conference attendees will vote for one of the three finalists during the Opening Session of the Polyurethanes Technical Conference on Monday, Sept. 22. The judges' scores will represent two-thirds of the final score, while the attendees' votes will be tabulated for the final one-third of the score to determine the 2014 Polyurethane Innovation Award winner.
Award notification
Each of the three finalists will be notified by July 28 and will receive one complimentary, full registration to the 2014 Polyurethanes Technical Conference. During the Opening Session of the conference, finalists will give a three-minute presentation on their innovation, which will also be featured in the conference poster sessions. The winner of the 2014 Innovation Award will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 24, during the Closing Session.
How to enter
Companies or individuals interested in entering the award program must submit an application no later than 5 p.m. EDT on June 18. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. Details on the award, including an entry form, can be found on the CPI website.