The process to get from initial ideas to innovation awards
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At the heart of award-winning performance
We believe that the path to groundbreaking innovation is paved with collaboration, investment in emerging technologies, and the value of a diverse team.
Breakthrough innovation often starts with inspiration—people inspired by a purpose to solve a challenge or create something better.
At Dow, our purpose is to create a sustainable future for all. The Edison Awards help to demonstrate to the world that innovative thinking and sustainable practices are complementary endeavors. This year, we had twelve Edison Awards winners.
We know innovation is a powerful catalyst for positive change in our world. Our approach is deeply rooted in research and development (R&D) that is built on connection – to our customers, to society, and to the planet.
As I reflected on our seventh consecutive year of record-setting innovation awards recognition, I thought about what it takes to achieve this level of consistent performance. It’s critical we keep delivering the breakthrough innovation required to improve the lives of people and the health of our planet. So, how do we do that? What are the critical elements?
Having a seat at the design table with customers and value chain leaders is crucial
It allows us to work on critical problems and minimize potential obstacles on the journey to commercialization. It also allows us to focus our efforts where innovation is most needed. For example, customers are working to improve the sustainability of their products, and we are meeting their need with products that are designed for recyclability, enable lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), contain recycled content and more, all while offering the same or improved performance. In fact, more than 89% of our R&D innovation pipeline is aligned to our sustainability focus areas of climate protection, circular economy and safer materials. Sustainability is a driving factor for innovation, the vast majority of our products that won 2024 Edison Awards provide clear sustainability advantages. For example, INVISU™ 7007 Water-Borne Label Adhesive allows for clean separation of film labels to enhance their recyclability, and SPECFLEX™ CIR Polyurethane Series is designed to help automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) meet their market and regulatory demands for more circular products.
Investing in emerging technologies to help accelerate R&D
Dow R&D conducts thousands of highly automated experiments simultaneously using state-of-the-art high-throughput research, informatics and data analysis, enabling us to commercialize nearly 2,000 new products every year and improve time-to-market for our customers. We have invested in advanced robotics and computing to allow us to do more experiments than ever before. In fact, we were recognized with a Gold Award by the Edison Awards in the Digital Transformation and Data Governance category for our Predictive Intelligence. This is an artificial-intelligence-driven initiative that uses advanced data analytics and machine learning to revolutionize the polyurethane formulation process and accelerate time to market of differentiated solutions.
Valuing a diverse team and breadth of expertise
We believe a diverse team with capabilities across multiple scientific and engineering disciplines is a key element of success. Across our R&D organization we have expertise in catalysis and synthesis, engineering fundamentals, formulations and interfacial phenomena, materials sciences, and modeling and optimization. This diverse expertise allows us to develop polymers, products and process that are higher-performing and improve sustainability. To build this type of talent pipeline, we actively seek out individuals with a passion for innovation and a drive to make a difference. We foster partnerships with leading universities and research institutions worldwide to attract top-tier talent. Our recruitment process is designed to identify individuals who not only have the technical skills required but also align with our core values. Dow is also heavily committed to cultivating a safe and enjoyable workplace and to the continuous learning and development of our employees.
We believe that the path to groundbreaking innovation is paved with collaboration, investment in emerging technologies, and the value of a diverse team. We sit at the design table with our customers and value chain leaders as active contributors to the creation of sustainable, high-performance solutions. Our investments in cutting-edge technologies accelerate our R&D efforts, enabling us to deliver award-winning innovations. Above all, we recognize that a diverse team with breadth of expertise is our greatest asset. As we continue to strive for better, we remain committed to our purpose - to work relentlessly for the benefit of people and the planet. Because at Dow, we don’t just believe there’s always an opportunity to “do it better” - we make it our mission to find it.
Rui Vogt Alves da Cruz, Vice President of Core Research & Development at Dow
About the author
Rui Cruz is the Vice-President for Core Research & Development at Dow, a global Research and Development organization which drives the long-term R&D vision for Dow. In this role, he is responsible for leading a team of hundreds of researchers and unique capabilities supporting Dow’s entire innovation portfolio. Rui works closely with business and geography leaders to fill Dow’s R&D innovation pipeline, coordinate the collaboration with strategic universities and government agencies and build networks for people development. His organization is also responsible for the development and recruiting of technical talent for Dow’s R&D. Outside of work, Rui enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking, playing the violin and practicing Tae Kwon Do with his two kids. His extensive experience in various R&D roles and his commitment to innovation and collaboration make him a invaluable leader at Dow.