NORA – North America Open Research Alliance
Who We Are
The North America Open Research Alliance (NORA) is a strategic research initiative of BASF that focuses on leveraging the power of Open Innovation to co-develop iterative and transformative technologies, ensuring the competitiveness of our R&D activities as well as the strength of our talent pipeline – creating chemistry for a sustainable future.
Our Strategic Pillars
- Effective Partnership Identification & Engagement: We align collaborations with our innovation and business strategies, e.g. with tools such as Halo, to ensure impactful collaborations.
- Operational Excellence & Transparency: We streamline processes and optimize collaboration engagements, to ensure efficient time and resource allocation for all parties involved.
- Regional Impact: We add electrons to the bonds between North American institutions, entrepreneurs, innovation partners, etc. and the drivers of BASF’s global R&D pipeline – ensuring that we leverage the strengths of the North America R&D ecosystem.
- Team Health & Culture: We foster an inclusive, supportive environment that promotes continuous growth and well-being.
NORA’s Approach to Open Innovation
At NORA, we utilize an Open Innovation framework to engage with experts outside of our own organization. This framework allows us to rapidly explore a broader range of technologies and identify market solutions with key stakeholders across academia and industry. NORA’s Open Innovation strategy ensures that BASF remains competitive and responsive to emerging technological shifts. A focus on key areas such as sustainability, carbon management, and digitalization underpins our commitment to leading the chemical industry towards a more innovative and sustainable future.
Looking to join BASF's Open Innovation ecosystem?
Research & Development - Top Research University Collaborations
Thomas Holcombe
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BASF partners with Acadian Plant Health™ to introduce climate-resilient solution
BASF expands its BioSolutions offering by incorporating seaweed biostimulants from Acadian Plant Health™, a renowned marine plant harvesting, cultivation, and extraction company based in Dartmouth, Canada. “Now more than ever, farmers must pursue productivity and sustainability. We connect the best products, technologies, and services, to positively transform agriculture, impact food systems and, ultimately, society. By pooling our expertise and resources, we can make a meaningful change,” said Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President Global Marketing at BASF Agricultural Solutions.
BASF receives funding approval for the construction of a heat pump for CO2-free steam generation
BASF has received funding approval from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action for the construction of the world’s most powerful industrial heat pump. In the coming months, the company will therefore be able to start the preparatory construction work for the project at its Ludwigshafen site. The project is intended to make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. Today, Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, presented the funding approval to Uwe Liebelt, President European Verbund Sites, BASF SE.
Save energy, increase power and efficiency: high-performance PPA by BASF for next-generation IGBT semi-conductors
For next-generation power electronics, BASF has developed a polyphthalamide (PPA) that is especially suited for manufacturing housings of IGBT (insulated-gate bipolar transistor) semi-conductors. Ultramid® Advanced N3U41 G6 addresses the growing demand for high-performance, reliable electronic components for e.g., electric vehicles, high-speed trains, smart manufacturing and the generation of renewable energy. Semikron Danfoss, a global technology leader in power electronics, now uses the BASF PPA as housing in its Semitrans 10 IGBT which can be installed in inverters of photovoltaic and wind energy systems. Due to its outstanding chemical resistance and dimensional stability, the Ultramid® Advanced N grade enhances the robustness, long-term performance and reliability of these IGBTs.
BASF awarded a Red Dot for its unique automotive coating concept
The automotive color concept EFFLORESCENCE from BASF effectively demonstrates the compatibility of sustainability and design values. The monocoat combines all of its functionalities in a single layer – including a pearl-like visual effect without the use of traditional effect pigments, and a reduction of the car body heating due to more than 65% of light reflection. This unique approach has now been recognized within the Red Dot Award: Design Concept, one of the world’s most prestigious competitions that honors innovations as the precursors of tomorrow’s great products.
BASF expands its sustainable polyamide portfolio with products with reduced and, for the first time, net zero CO2 footprints
With Ultramid® LowPCF (reduced CO2 footprint/“Product Carbon Footprint”, PCF**) and Ultramid® ZeroPCF* (CO2 footprint of net zero greenhouse gas emissions), BASF launches two new product variants within its polyamide value chain in Europe. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced when compared to conventional products. BASF is offering its Ultramid® B brand and the precursor caprolactam as ZeroPCF and LowPCF variants, as well as Ultramid® C as LowPCF option.
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Unleashing the power of open innovation through intrapreneurship
BASF experts developed and tested a new formulation in just under two years by implementing an agile methodology. Learn more about this in our new article.
NORA: Bridging the gap between disruptive innovation and industrial scalability
NORA connects BASF to different areas of knowledge and innovation in the academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem across the U.S.
CARA: a decade of powerful bonds and breakthroughs
The California Research Alliance (CARA) has successfully brought together scientists and researchers from BASF and West Coast universities in the United States. Learn about its achievements in this new article.
2019 Nobel-winning chemistry professor shares his views on renewable energy
2019 Nobel Prize laureate M. Stanley Whittingham speaks to BASF about winning the most prestigious award in Chemistry.