KIEM: collaboration between science and SME

Using waste materials for a product to purify water? That should be a hole in the market! The commercialization of science into a product is tricky, noted Leo Jenneskens, professor of Physical Organic Chemistry from Utrecht University and Virginie Heidweiller, director of SME Geochem Research. A step that requires financial resources. That's what the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research offers with KIEM.

KIEM stands for Knowledge Innovation Mapping. This form of financing is part of the NWO New Chemical Innovations Fund, and is a result of the government policy on top sectors. KIEM, designed especially for innovation in SMEs, is accessible and encourages public-private partnerships. One fifth of the research money comes from companies, NWO adds the rest. SME's can innovate with the results and scientists can learn from practice.