FDBusiness.com

Manufacturer of plant-based specialty ingredients Naturex is launching INGENIUM, an Open Innovation Initiative with the goal of advancing technological breakthroughs by sourcing and supporting innovative ideas from various sources.

As part of this program, Naturex will be partnering with new start-up companies whose promising business ideas and technologies may be valuable to the company’s development. Partnerships will include extensive advice and mentoring on various levels, (regulatory, legal, logistics, marketing etc.) and Naturex will also make the company’s facilities – for example the analytical or application labs- available to the chosen candidates.

Naturex is also planning to establish a Technology Advisory Group (TAG) which will include highly respected technology business actors and/or key academic opinion leaders. Privileged research areas shall include biotechnologies, new extraction and cultivation processes, identification of new botanicals or digital marketing technologies.

Doug Klaiber, CEO of Naturex-DBS division, has been asked to set up this Open Innovation Initiative. Klaiber’s background as an entrepreneur in innovative ingredients at Decas Botanical Synergies (DBS), a company acquired by Naturex in 2012, are said to make him the ideal candidate for this mission.

“Open Innovation is key to our BRIGHT2020 strategic plan,” said Olivier Rigaud, CEO of Naturex.

“Our aim is to generate 10% sales through new product developments by 2020, and we know that innovation cannot be provided solely by our own research. By crowdsourcing innovation, Naturex can improve customer value, drive advancements across industries and, last but not least, foster local economic development. We are very proud to be shaping the future of the ingredients industry.”

Naturex is the global leader in specialty plant-based natural ingredients. The company employs more than 1,700 people and benefits from eight sourcing offices around the world and high-performance manufacturing operations across 15 sites in Europe, Morocco, the United States, Brazil, Australia, India, and Chile. It also has a global commercial presence through a dedicated network of 25 sales offices.