Partnering, Co-Innovation & Ecosystems

In today's hyper competitive, fast-paced environment partnering is a must on all fronts. Also, many of the challenges we face are common to all mankind. At Neste we partner with research centres and academia to tap into the latest scientific findings. We co-develop technologies and new value chains with our industrial partners and startups.  And we partner with international companies and brands to get close to the end customers and to demonstrate the possibilities of the newest technologies.

 

Research and Academia

Our innovation teams work closely with universities and research centres all over the world. In the rapidly evolving technology landscape it is vital to tap into current fundamental science and understand the underlying phenomena to be able to innovate new solutions as well as to improve existing technologies. In Finland we have currently three strategic cooperation programs with local universities and research institutions.

We work with Aalto University and Åbo Akademi University to increase the overall expertise of the Finnish chemical industry and support important growth areas for Neste, such as renewable products and low carbon solutions.

Together with VTT, The Technical Research Centre of Finland, we have agreed to share research infrastructure. VTT can use Neste's vehicle testing facility in Kilpilahti, Porvoo. VTT on the other hand welcomes Neste to use its Espoo research infrastructure for catalytic processes to develop cleaner solutions for fuels and chemicals. 

We are constantly searching for global research partners in our fields of interest. If you are interested in partnering please contact us here

technology

 

Technology and Start Ups

Today's innovation landscape does not favor lone wolves. At Neste we have first class capabilities to develop our proprietary technologies, but we also work closely with industrial technology partners and start ups. When partnering our focus is on mature technologies and technologies on their way to maturity, but we are also ready to co-develop viable ideas in their early stages. We can offer our R&D and engineering knowhow to co-develop and commercialize new innovations. To this end we are also prepared to make equity investments in startups.

If you are a startup developing a new solution or a mature technology provider looking to partner with one of the technology leaders of the industry, please be in touch. All contacts through our contact form.

 

Feedstock and Value Chains

Our core capability is refining difficult raw materials into premium fuels and chemicals. The renewable feedstocks are often collected from small streams and therefore the logistics from source to refinery are a major challenge. We are already collecting used cooking oils. The next huge undertaking may be transforming municipal solid waste into fuels and materials. The collection, transportation and sorting of the raw material requires partners. Further in the value chain, partners close to the end customers are equally important.

Currently among our new focus areas is to explore municipal solid waste and its further fractions as a feedstock for value added applications. We are looking for feedstock sources, partners and technologies to enable viable and sustainable value chains to fuels and chemicals. 

Microalgae provides great potential as a new type of sustainable feedstock source which can be valorized in fuel production but at the same time for example in feed, food and cosmetic applications. Neste is actively evaluating the full potential of microalgae with best possible technologies and partners in above mentioned industries. 

We are also exploring feedstocks, technologies and value chains to convert lignocellulosic biomass to high value fuels, chemicals and materials. We have established a partnership with Bioenergy La Tuque to study renewable diesel production from forest industry residues. 

Do you have access to a feedstock we should consider or capabilities to collect recyclable waste streams at scale? Please contact us.

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lignocellulose

 

End Customers Call the Shots

People want products that are better than before, environmentally sound and economically competitive. In the end this is what drives our R&D and production processes. The challenge is often to get the word out about new technologies and new approaches. One of the most efficient methods to do this is to partner with well known brands and companies. Together with Ikea, and Clariant, for example, as well as our value chain partners such as Borealis and LyondellBasell, we have demonstrated possibilities that might have gone unnoticed without the presence of a strong, international consumer brand. Our partnerships help us to keep our finger on the pulse of the end customers, but also together with them we work toward increased awareness.

Our collaboration with aviation companies such as Lufthansa and KLM has had an important role in opening the market for sustainable aviation fuels.  

tuolit

 

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