As  the world’s leading chemical company, BASF Group is made up of subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries and has 115.000 employees worldwide.

Manufacturing is the core of our business. Therefore, we need to make sure that all of our processes, units and equipment operate in a safe and secure environment and are in perfect condition. Any change in operating conditions can pose a potential safety hazard, which needs to be properly addressed. Safe plant operation and safeguarded production availability are our top priorities.

We are looking for a startup with technology that can stay on top of corrosion, creep and other material changes in our equipment, and also revolutionize how we monitor, predict, and prevent potential threats with intelligent systems.

We seek  to address equipment-damage problems such as wall thinning, creep, and corrosion with intelligent monitoring systems for a wide range of applications. . Available techniques use sensors that only measure wall thickness or basic media corrosivity at the point of installation. . Locating the point of damage on a given piece of equipment is also difficult. . For other damage mechanisms like e.g. localized corrosion or creep, there are currently hardly any sensors available at an industrial scale. A more accurate and continuous means of monitoring current safety hazards must be developed. 

Already think of us as your customer or development partner.  This challenge is open for startups, universities, institutes and research teams. For the project, we expect you to adapt your existing product or co-develop a product with BASF.  By the end of the project, we expect to have a first version of an intelligent monitoring system ready for further evaluation and adaptation. Our goal is to implement a global standard solution to all of our sites. We are ready to help you fine tune your solution to get it there.

Your solution may potentially consist of connected sensors, which determine material changes and their effect on equipment long after their initial installation. Systems may use more available information than local wall thickness to evaluate changes, such as stiffness of equipment out of CAD drawing. Sensors may also use more than one testing technique.Your product or technology should be able to address the following questions: 

Please take five minutes to quickly describe your solution. 

After the application deadline, our selection committee will invite up to five finalists to deliver their pitch at a representative BASF location. You will speak with key decision-makers during your visit, and also be compensated for your travel and lodging expenses.

We will then  choose up to three winners for a 100.000€ pilot project. Upon successful completion of the project, startups can officially list BASF as their customer or client. A decision will also be made on whether or not to enter a long-term partnership and whether to roll out  your startup’s solution regionally or even worldwide.