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What it's all about |
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| Dr. Karin Sperling, Head of Global New Business Development Chemical Intermediates |
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 What role does your team play in the company?
Sperling: Innovations are crucial to our sustainable success. The activities of my team reflect this principle of our global growth strategy. We see ourselves as the hub of innovation. Speed, precision, an open mind for new ideas, and a deep understanding of chemical contexts are basic pre-requisites.
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 How is the New Business Development unit currently positioned globally, and what is your development strategy for the unit?
Sperling: Our task is to acquire new projects and promote them purposefully and systematically while maintaining close, unbureaucratic contact with our customers. Our base is Europe, but in the past two years we have massively stepped up our activities in the NAFTA region and in Asia, and we are set to push further ahead in this development. We feel that these regions stand out for the many promising opportunities they offer for new developments in high-growth markets.
 Where do these new opportunities for your New Business Development projects originate? Are they usually based on customer inquiries initiating targeted new product development?
Sperling: We work with a sharp focus on customers and markets. Even today, around 70% of the new project ideas go back directly to customers, or develop from our discussions with customers. We ask our external partners proactively about their problems, and develop solutions for them. Of course, it helps our business partners and ourselves that we focus increasingly on growth industries in which we can demonstrate extensive expertise, such as the coatings, plastics, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. The other 30% of our project ideas derive from our own research. That means BASF research produces new compounds for which the New Business Development unit develops new applications. This path of innovation is much more difficult and time consuming because we must start by developing potential new applications.
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 What are the criteria new projects must meet and what is the impact on success?
Sperling: One of our crucial criteria is the economic success of the project with our customers and of course within BASF. Another important criteria is the technological fit which impacts project duration and success. If these basic criteria are met, we work on our projects according to a methodically validated system. As the link that ties research to production, we also take great interest in the scale-up of processes from lab scale to full-scale production. This ensures a high rate of success. The fact that we can cover nearly all aspects of chemical expertise within BASF is an added success factor. We have fast access at all times to experts from all units that we may need to complete a project successfully. This culture of interdivisional cooperation is fostered by BASF's commitment to innovation.
 What happens to the projects once they have been successfully completed by the New Business Development unit?
Sperling: We take our projects right to final stage i.e., to the stage of real, successful production, and we accompany the market launch as well. Then we transfer the project to the marketing teams of the commercial units who have been involved in the project right from the beginning. This approach is another key element of success.
 What role does intellectual property play, and how can you further exploit the experience acquired in a customer project?
Sperling: The first question to be asked is always where the intellectual property has originated. Obviously we will not touch the know-how of our external partners. However, we want to be able to use the expertise we have acquired in the course of a project in other contexts, too. Any such extension is initiated exclusively in agreement with the customer concerned. Our customers support this approach.
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