ChemistryNL helps SMEs, startups, and scale-ups connect with knowledge partners to address innovation challenges. We facilitate innovation agents who can connect you with the right partner. They introduce themselves below.
Read all about the daily life of a ChemistryNL innovation agents in their blogs.
SMEs in the chemical industry can contact our innovation brokers with their innovation questions. ChemistryNL enables these brokers to provide free advice to SMEs on innovation, bottlenecks, knowledge gaps, and potential partners. Our innovation agents have a broad national network.
Green Serendipity is a consultancy firm focused on bioplastics, biobased packaging and circular concepts with a focus on sustainable chain innovation. The driving force behind Green Serendipity is Caroli Buitenhuis. Green Serendipity advises on making the right choices regarding the use of renewable materials for packaging and/or products. This meets the growing need among retailers, brand owners and start-ups, but also the manufacturing industry, to gain insight into the possibilities of biobased and circular production and packaging. Clear answers are provided to questions such as: which renewable materials are suitable for making or packaging my product, which producers can I approach for this, what about the waste phase, what about the barrier properties or sealing options, what are the costs or how can the costs be recouped, etc.
Specific objectives include:
Caroli Buitenhuis: +31 (0)6 24 21 67 33 | info@greenserendipity.nl | www.greenserendipity.nl | www.biobasedpackaging.nl
Lays da Cruz is a biologist who studied Environmental Science and Health at the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás in Goiânia, Brazil. She holds a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the Federal University of Goiás, giving her a solid research background before transitioning to industry. As a business-minded scientist, she has built seven years of experience across pharma, family offices, and in establishing public-private partnerships. At Lygature, her work is driven by challenging questions around innovative technologies with the potential to transform and improve lives through meaningful collaborations.
She brings a practical approach, a creative mindset, and a passion for science and education, qualities that are essential to addressing global challenges. Her areas of focus include AI applications in molecular and materials sciences, early-stage drug discovery and development, and diagnostic technologies.
Contact: Lays de la Cruz lays.dacruz@lygature.org, 06 39503380
The NRK represents the interests of the rubber and plastics industry (RKI). Its 2018 turnover was €13.5 billion, with approximately 900 companies, 75% of which were SMEs. Employment stood at 50,000 and is growing slightly. The RKI has been growing by an average of over 3% for decades. In recent years, this growth has doubled GDP by 6%. Exports (both direct and indirect) account for over 65%. Over 12% of raw material imports are plastic recyclates.
The companies supply a wide variety of modules and (finished) products for applications in industry, trade, construction, packaging, and consumer use. The NRK represents approximately 400 companies (60% of the turnover) clustered in 19 trade associations. Under the motto “Sustainable Business. Rethink rubber and plastic products!”, NRK has prioritized CSR and a healthy climate for its member companies since 2000. In our vision, companies and products must contribute to sustainable development and fit into the evolving circular economy. We offer safe and healthy working conditions in which employees can develop, and our products provide comfort to users and contribute to their prosperity and well-being.
As an industrial designer, Martin van Dord has over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, product development, and innovation management for products (telecom, medical, etc.) and instruments (energy conservation and e-learning). In recent years, Martin worked as an innovation manager at NRK Rubber & Plastics Industry and DPI Value Center. In addition to providing individual support to companies, he focuses on initiating and implementing cluster and chain projects around themes such as recycling, closing the loop, biopolymers, and composites. Martin has a broad and deep network within the Dutch polymer chain, spanning raw materials, development, processing, use, and recycling. He has extensive knowledge infrastructure and a deep network within European polymer research institutes.
Contact Martin van Dord: +31 6 23426593 | vandord@nrk.nl | www.nrk.nl
Through Business Angels Connect, companies in the Chemical and Agrifood sectors receive feedback on the feasibility of using private investors to secure financing for their growth plans. Selected companies are helped to formulate proposals from real investors and introduce them to the investor network through private meetings and individual introductions. Business Angels Connect offers the sector training and education in corporate finance, specifically business angel financing.
René Reijtenbagh is an advisor and expert in preparing companies for introduction to investors, known as Business Angels. Together with entrepreneurs, René assesses whether Business Angel Investing is a financing option for the company. René has an extensive network of Business Angels and Business Angel networks in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France.
Contact René Reijtenbagh: +31 6 289 09 185 | reijtenbagh@businessangelsconnect.nl | www.businessangelsconnect.nl
Marco Tibaldi has a background in chemistry, energy, and sustainability. His primary goal is to strengthen the importance of chemistry in the circular economy and the Netherlands’ energy transition goals. As Operations Manager at the Amsterdam Chemistry Network (ACN), Marco is at the heart of an active community of professionals sharing the same ambitious goals.
ACN creates direct connections between knowledge institutions, startups, scale-ups, and large industries across the entire technology readiness ladder. ACN will become the go-to network organization that individuals, companies, and institutions approach to gain optimal access to Amsterdam’s Chemistry and Biotech ecosystem, with a special focus on Chemistry for Sustainability and Chemistry for Life Sciences. Marco’s role as Innovation Agent is a natural extension of his work at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) at the national level.
The concrete objectives and results of these connections are:
Contact Marco Tibaldi: +31 (0)6 23 35 40 41 | marco@acnetwork.nl | www.acnetwork.nl
The Innovation Agent must be able to create a climate of open communication and open innovation that results in concrete innovation plans. The Innovation Agent must be able to bring people together and formulate common goals. To this end, the Innovation Agent possesses the necessary professional knowledge, innovation expertise, and (project) management skills, and can function well in a multidisciplinary environment. Furthermore, the Innovation Agent has a relevant regional and national network in their field. A key quality of the Innovation Agent is the ability to listen, speak the language of SMEs, and articulate needs. The Innovation Agent can work independently, demonstrates initiative, and decisiveness. Drive and enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship are the driving forces behind the Innovation Agent’s efforts. The expertise the Innovation Broker brings to the table must be relevant to ChemistryNL’s roadmaps.
