BASF and UC Berkeley extend alliance for five
years
Many scientific discoveries and patent applications have resulted
from more than 25 research projects underway since West Coast
universities and BASF established the California Research Alliance
(CARA) by BASF in 2014. This multidisciplinary collaboration headed
by the College of Chemistry at the University of California,
Berkeley (UC Berkeley) conducts research on new inorganic and other
advanced materials, biosciences and their applications.
To mark three years of CARA researchers working alongside BASF
counterparts, members of these universities, guest professors,
students, and BASF have convened for an Anniversary Symposium,
April 24-25, 2017, at UC Berkeley to address recent research
advancements. During the event, leaders from UC Berkeley and BASF
announced a five-year extension of the CARA collaboration at a
signing ceremony.
“Our California Research Alliance brings together an entire
university system with BASF’s global R&D organization. We see
that as a great opportunity demonstrating the power of connecting
academia and industry to drive innovation,” said Peter Eckes,
President of Bioscience Research and North America Research
Representative, BASF.
"Three years and 25 research projects later, CARA has proven to
be a big success," said Paul Alivisatos, Berkeley's Vice Chancellor
for Research and a campus chemistry professor. "I'm delighted, but
not surprised, because basic and applied research are not distinct
activities. They are woven together and reinforce each other.
That's why, like other CARA researchers, I am looking forward to
several more years of cooperation with BASF."
Significant progress on intermetallic nanoparticles
research
Over the last three years, BASF experts and researchers from UC
Berkeley; Stanford, UC Davis; UC Santa Barbara; UC San Francisco;
and UC Los Angeles, have worked together on multiple research
projects to make new materials, advance the functionality and
performance of materials and develop methods and tools for
tailoring the interaction between chemicals and biological
systems.
One recent advancement was achieved by a joint team active in
the field of catalysis. The researchers developed a synthesis of
binary intermetallic nanoparticles from a combination of noble and
base metals, which have the potential to be used in catalysis
applications.
“Previously, there were only physical methods for manufacturing
very small quantities of such intermetallic nanoparticles. With
this newly discovered chemical approach, a critical first step was
taken towards preparation of these materials in large scales, which
is a prerequisite for assessing their potential for industrial
catalysis,” said Peter Walther, Senior Vice President,
Heterogeneous Catalysis, BASF. “The extensive nanoparticles
expertise and application know-how at CARA combined with guidance
provided to the postdoctoral researchers by Professor Paul
Alivisatos and BASF were certainly decisive for the development of
this new method.”
Following the successful tests at UC Berkeley, the synthesis of
the nanoparticles and their potential application in catalysis is
being further evaluated in BASF laboratories in Ludwigshafen,
Germany.
For press photos click on the links
below:https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2017/04/04-25-17_CARA1.jpg
Suggested caption: Dr. Peter Eckes, President
of Bioscience Research and North America Research Representative,
BASF (seated left), and Prof. Paul Alivisatos, Vice Chancellor of
Research, UC Berkeley (seated right) sign agreement to extend CARA
for five years. Around them left to right: Prof. Doug Clark, Dean,
College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley; Gray Davis, Former Governor of
California; Janet Napolitano, President, University of California;
Prof. Omar Yaghi, Founding Director of CARA, UC Berkeley; Dr.
Harald Lauke, President of Advanced Materials and Systems Research,
BASF; Kerstin Schierle-Arndt, Associate Director of CARA, BASF;
Prof. Peidong Wang, Founding Director of CARA, UC Berkeley.
https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2017/04/04-25-17_CARA2.jpg
Suggested caption: Representatives of industry,
academia and government participate in a roundtable discussion
titled, “Driving Innovation at the Interface of Academia and
Industry” moderated by Michael Pcolinksi, Vice President, Advanced
Materials and Systems Research, BASF Corporation (at podium).
Pictured left to right: Dr. Peter Eckes, President of Bioscience
Research and North America Research Representative, BASF; Prof.
Mark Coopersmith, Faculty Director, Entrepreneurship and
Innovation, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley; Dr. Eric
Rohlfing, Acting Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
(ARPA-E); and Prof. Paul Alivisatos, Vice Chancellor of Research,
UC Berkeley.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is
the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
BASF has more than 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales
of $16.2 billion in 2016. For more information about BASF’s North
American operations, visit www.basf.us.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We
combine economic success with environmental protection and social
responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF
Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in
nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our
portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance
Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural
Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about
€58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock
exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS).
Further information at www.basf.com.
For more information contact:
Fran Castle
BASF Corporation
Tel: (973) 314-4015
E-mail: fran.castle@basf.com