BASF launches global innovation initiative from India

German chemical major BASF has flagged off its global innovation initiative, Creator Space, in Mumbai on January 16, 2015. Aimed at addressing the challenges of smart energy, food and urban living, Creator Space tour will celebrate 150 years of BASF in six locations worldwide. The first stop, in Mumbai, India, will take place from January 16 to 23, 2015, with a focus on water sustainability.
 
The tour is part of BASF’s global co-creation program, Creator Space. Led by local, interdisciplinary, internal and external teams from areas such as architecture, art, design, science, government, technology, and sustainability, each city stop in the Creator Space tour will explore a locally relevant topic. Following the first stop in Mumbai, the tour will move to Shanghai, New York, Sao Paulo, Barcelona and Ludwigshafen. Topics will range from sustainable consumption, to housing of the future, to intelligent solutions along the energy value chain.
 
“The 150-year history of BASF shows that chemistry is an enabler for new ideas and solutions. In our anniversary year more than ever, we are connecting people and ideas to make meaningful contributions to society in accordance with our corporate purpose: ‘We create chemistry for a sustainable future’,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE.
 
The Mumbai edition of Creator Space will focus on water. Access to clean water is one of the most pressing issues in the rapidly growing metropolis of Mumbai. Almost a fifth of the world’s population lives in India, but the country has access to only 4 percent of the world’s fresh water resources. “Ideas about how to improve water accessibility, water quality, and policy and behaviour will be developed in customer innovation workshops, jamming sessions with employees and the public. At the Creator Space tour in Mumbai, more than 250 water experts, business professionals, NGOs, academia and interested citizens with different perspectives and expertise will discuss solutions to this question and other important challenges,” said BASF in a press release.
 
Sessions at Creator Space Mumbai will include a variety of activities, with diverse groups of participants being invited, ranging from business and academia to government, NGOs and society in general.
 
BASF will host Creator Space activities and events around the world in 2015 to celebrate and to co-create – bringing in the ideas and collaborative energy of BASF employees, customers, scientists and members of the community. In addition to the Creator Space tour, key elements of the Creator Space program include Creator Space online, a global internet platform, and three Creator Space science symposia, in Ludwigshafen (smart energy), Chicago (food) and Shanghai (urban living).