Gouden KIEM competition (now closed)

Young companies (start-ups) in the field chemistry can nominate themselves for the Gouden KIEM, the prize for the best collaboration in chemistry between a start-up and a knowledge institution. The nomination needs support from a dean of a faculty who provides shelter to chemical and / or molecular research groups.

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research’s (NWO) Domain Science and ChemistryNL reward the most exceptional example of interaction between young businesses and knowledge institutions (such as universities and universities of applied sciences). To this end, they have established the ‘Gouden KIEM’ competition, which involves a prize package of 25,000 euro and publicity.

Winners:

2019 – Susphos 
Team Susphos is developing technology that aims to generate a circular phosphate economy. They do that by processing phosphate-containing waste into high quality products such as fertilizer and fire retardants.

2018 – Sponsh
By looking at how nature collects water in dry coastal areas, Sponsh developed a temperature sensitive textile that produces water from air. Fully off-grid, zero-energy and affordable.

2017 – Fresh Strips
Team Fresh Strips invented ‘Fresh Strips’: battery-free sensors that change colour according to their temperature history, to easily judge freshness of a product. To launch this innovation, the start-up ‘FreshStrips’ was established in 2016. The technology was further developed – from a microscopic phenomenon in the lab, to scalable, fully-fledged prototypes with the help of the ‘Gouden KIEM’, that FreshStrips won in 2017.

2016 – Tusti
TUSTI is er in geslaagd om van vette plastic verpakkingen, zoals lege margarinekuipjes, kaasverpakkingen en bakken afgewerkt frituurvet, weer schone kunststof snippers te maken. Deze grote afvalstroom kan tot nu toe alleen met chemicaliën en stoom worden verwerkt. In een soort wastrommel maakt TUSTI dit plastic met een plantaardig schoonmaakmiddel op een natuurlijke en betaalbare manier schoon.

2014 – Lanthio Pharma
Lanthio Pharma is the biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing lanthipeptides.