BASF Report 2009 - BASF Report 2012

32
Management’s Analysis BASF Report 2009
The BASF Group
Research and development
and improved products or applications that have been on the
market for a maximum of five years. In 2015, we expect sales of
between €6 billion and €8 billion from product innovations.
For a multi-year overview of research and development
expenditures, see the Ten-year summary on page 213
Patents are also often used as a measure of the success of
research. They are an important foundation for long-term competitiveness
and, in the chemical industry, an indication of sustainable
innovative strength. In 2009, BASF filed around 1,300
patents worldwide (2008: 1,265). The Patent Asset Index,
developed at the Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU)
near Koblenz, Germany, allows a precise comparison of the
patent portfolios of global companies. According to this index,
BASF ranks first in 2009, making it one of the most innovative
companies in the international chemical industry.
BASF’s growth clusters
How can we feed a growing world population and provide
enough clean water for everyone How do we meet increasing
demands for energy We address these and other questions
related to global megatrends in five growth clusters: plant biotechnology,
white biotechnology, raw materials change, energy
management, and nanotechnology. In these clusters, the focus
is on markets and technologies of the future.
Environmental factors like heat and cold often determine
how good a harvest is. As a result of climate change, experts
expect that drought will occur more frequently and last longer
in the future. In the plant biotechnology growth cluster,
together with our partner Monsanto we have developed a
drought-tolerant corn. Farmers in the United States will likely
be able to cultivate this corn as of 2012. Other cooperation
partners in the development of important crops are Embrapa
(herbicide-tolerant soybeans), CTC (sugarcane) and KWS
(sugar beet).
Enzymes make an important contribution to animal nutrition, an
area in which we are conducting research in our white biotechnology
growth cluster. For example, the animal feed additive
Natugrain ® TS helps improve the nutritive value of feed used in
pig and poultry farming. With the help of this additive, animals
can utilize the otherwise nearly indigestible carbohydrates in
plant-based foods and convert them into energy.
Limited resources are a global challenge – particularly for
the chemical industry. In the raw materials change growth
cluster, we are conducting research into a range of starting materials
as alternatives to crude oil for our value-adding chains;
examples include renewable raw materials and natural gas.
BASF develops dehydration technologies for the production of
C3 and C4 olefins, which are basic chemicals for the production
of many important products including superabsorbents,
plasticizers, polymers, surfactants and solvents.
Due to globalization, the desire for mobility and availability
is increasing. In our energy management growth cluster, we
are involved in the field of technology for energy storage, among
other things. Together with partners from industry and science
in the consortium “HE-Lion,” BASF Future Business GmbH –
and in the future, the Catalysts division – plan, for example, to
develop and bring to market cathode materials for more efficient,
higher-performing and safer lithium-ion batteries.
In the nanotechnology growth cluster, materials for printable
electronics are contributing to new information technologies.
These enable the efficient production of numerous
new electronic applications, including memory tags, cost-efficient
radio frequency identification tags and flexible displays.
Our successes encourage us to continue into the second
phase of our growth cluster initiative “We innovate for growth”
from 2009 to 2011 with investments of up to €1 billion. With this,
we aim to create profitable growth for BASF and contribute to
a better future.
For more on research and development in the segments,
see page 47 onward
BASF’s growth clusters
– Five growth clusters focus on technologies and
markets of the future
– Addressing megatrends such as the growing world
population, increasing energy demand and globalization
– Second phase of the growth cluster initiative from
2009 to 2011; expenditures of up to €1 billion
BASF the leader in Patent Asset Index
Patent Asset Index (standardized, as of December 31, 2009)
An indicator of companies’ innovative strength 1
BASF 100
Bayer 72
Du Pont 63
Dow Chemical 59
Evonik 31
Source: WHU Prof. Ernst
1
Based on the portfolio size (number of patent families) and the competitive
impact (number of citations in other patents and market coverage)