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Open Innovation | Corteva Agriscience / Collaborate with Us / Scalable and cost-effective mono-hydroxylation of relevant process chemistry building blocks
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Enabling Technologies

Scalable and cost-effective mono-hydroxylation of relevant process chemistry building blocks

Background

The development of a cost effective, safe, and sustainable manufacturing process for crop protection active ingredients is essential for the successful commercialization of agrochemicals. As part of our efforts of identifying process friendly synthetic technology to enable manufacturing route development, we are seeking a scalable, selective, and cost-effective process for mono-hydroxylation of readily available synthetic building blocks as showed in the figure below. Currently available methods often involve multiple synthetic steps, costly and non-scalable reagents, and long development timeline. We invite public and private sector scientists to join in our efforts by submitting a proposal to develop and/or demonstrate a low-cost, scalable and sustainable process/method to enable the intended synthetic transformations.

OI Figure chemical molecular diagram
Figure: Generic structure of substrates for mono-hydroxylation
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OI Figure chemical molecular diagram
Figure: Generic structure of substrates for mono-hydroxylation

Open

Submission deadline:
October 1, 2024, by 8 p.m. US Eastern Time

Funding

Funding up to $100,000 inclusive of indirect costs*

What we're looking for

We are seeking short, non-confidential proposals that describe a plan for a scalable, selective and cost-effective process for mono-hydroxylation of readily synthetic building blocks:

Must haves:

  • Scalable: Can be scaled up to >Mton within a development time of 2 years
  • Cost effective: Less than $30 total conversion cost per kg of product at commercial scale (>100 Mtons)
  • A feasible path of isolating the desired product with a desirable purity
  • Relevant literatures or industrial application examples supporting the proposal

Nice-to-haves:

  • For process involve biocatalyst or metal catalyst, commercial source and/or preparation method of the catalysts are desirable
  • The proposed process adapts green chemistry principles: Minimizing waste generation, using benign solvents, being less hazardous and atomic efficient

Approaches not of interest:

  • Process presents any significant operation safety concern at commercial scale
  • Process requires stoichiometric heavy metals
  • Proposals should include:
  • Detailed method or plan* on how we can develop and implement the process
  • Relevant literature or industrial application references
  • A high-level cost estimate
  • A proposed development timeline
  • * please exclude any proprietary and confidential information such as specific reagents, process conditions, specific enzymes and/or sequences

Who Should Submit?

  • Scientists with expertise in relevant fields
  • Public and private sector institutions and organizations with related experience and interest

What Can You Expect?

For submissions received by October 1st  5:00 PM PST/PDT:

  • We will evaluate your submission and notify you of its status by December 1st (60 days after closing).
  • An Open Innovation representative will contact selected finalists to arrange a virtual discussion with Corteva scientists under confidentiality and to provide additional details on the selection process.

For selected proposals: 

  • Opportunity to develop a collaborative project for extended collaboration. 

How can we help?

  • Up to $100,000, inclusive of indirect costs. The funding will be distributed based on the achievement of specific milestones, including proof of concept using Corteva-provided subtract.
  • Corteva in-kind resources as applicable
  • Opportunities for extended collaboration and additional funding if successful

*Indirect costs available to academic and nonprofit research institutes only