An organization in which innovation is the byword

In chemistry, as in many fields, innovation is the outcome of medium- and long-term projects that are distinct from applied research work intended to develop existing activities on a daily basis. These projects, which may require several years of development before achieving any commercial impact, must necessarily be managed at the corporate level, independent of the short-term economic constraints bearing on each business unit.

R&D at Arkema, reporting directly to the President, enjoys a budget of more than 2.5% of the company’s turnover, the expertise of its 1,100 researchers, and the international location of its 7 research centers, in France, the USA and Japan. More than 10% of this budget is devoted directly to ground-breaking projects that enable Arkema to project itself into the future.

So as to perform these innovative projects under the best possible conditions and with the best chances of success, Arkema has introduced a novel organization making use of an “incubator”, a structure with the human and technical resources needed to conduct the projects. It plays a key role in facilitating exchanges with the business units involved, which then take over the projects once they have entered their mature stage.

Organization using an incubator structure has the advantage of being able to apply to various types of projects, ranging from development of new products and processes to acquisition of start-ups, not to mention management of partnerships with industry and universities.

• Find out more about Arkema's incubator