An international contest to find the battery tech innovators of the future has been launched by South Korea’s LG Chem.
The lithium-ion battery maker is asking for proposals relating to battery cells, packs and “all next generation battery technologies” for its LG Chem Global Innovation Contest.
Proposals must be submitted by the end of this September with the winners to be named in the following December.
Winners will be granted up to $150,000 per year for “multi-year research activities”— and may also be invited to work on projects with LG Chem’s own R&D teams.
LG Chem is also calling for “innovative technology ideas” in sectors including biotechnology and platform technology.
Company vice-president Jin-Nyoung Yoo said the contest aimed to identify innovations at the R&D stage and support a move into “mass production technology through collaboration between companies and academia”.
“We will continue to pursue open innovation, and we will link it with the start-up of technology-based public offerings,” he added.
Meanwhile, LG Chem has said it plans to implement the largest R&D expenditure of KRW1.1 trillion ($932 million) this year and to increase its investment by more than 10% each year.
Earlier this year, California-based start-up Feasible Inc was named the winner of LG Chem’s Battery Challenge open innovation programme, which was launched in 2018.
