Deadline: May 4, 2026
Applications are open for the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) Innovation Challenge 2026. By developing new sustainable materials, products, processes and business models, chemistry plays a key role in achieving most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and hence a sustainable future. To accelerate the search for solutions, the ISC3 launches the Innovation Challenge to engage, award and promote Sustainable Chemistry innovators from around the world.
This ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2026 is calling for chemistry or chemical technology-based innovations in the field of electronics, featuring the following subtopics:
Innovation in Design & Performance
- Applying Eco-design principles: designing electronics for durability, repairability, recyclability, and modularity with focus on chemical and materials innovation
- Design for disassembly: using adhesives, coatings, and encapsulants that can be safely removed or chemically dissolved.
- Reducing material intensity while maintaining performance.
- Developing more sustainable solders, recyclable encapsulants, and solvent systems for safer assembly/disassembly.
Innovations providing more resource efficient use or substitution of critical raw materials and toxic metal species
- Alternative technologies for scarce and critical elements and critical nonrenewable resources (see Annex I a.) for details)
- Use of abundant, non-toxic, recycled / recyclable feedstocks
Sustainable Manufacturing Approaches
- Low-energy, low-waste fabrication methods (solution processing, additive manufacturing, green solvents).
- Designing scalable, safer chemical routes generating less waste
- Sustainable alternatives to hazardous reagents and byproducts (including additional technologies)
- Development of biodegradable electronic components using polymers and organic materials.
- Addressing social issues including child labor, unsafe working conditions, and other forms of injustice.
End-of-Life & Circularity
- Chemical methods for disassembly, selective separation, and recycling
- E-waste recycling and recovery of valuable materials
- Electrochemical recycling of materials in electronics (e-waste recovery of metals like Li, Co, Au).
- Mechanical or chemical recycling of plastic materials in electronics
- Use of recyclable, biodegradable materials or materials that undergo full mineralization at end of life
- E.g. biomaterials based, biodegradable conductors and semiconductors.
- Closed-loop systems
- Prevention of material dissipation
Alternative & Emerging Materials
- Organic and polymer electronics
- Advanced Materials for Electronics
- 2D materials like graphene, MoS₂, and MXenes: Surface chemistry affects electronic and mechanical properties.
- Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs): Used in sensing, energy storage, and optoelectronic devices.
- Self-healing or stimuli-responsive materials for flexible electronics
- Sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastic materials used in electronics, e.g.:
- PVC for cables, insulation, flexible parts
- ABS for casings for computers, printers, TV’s, keyboards, etc.
- PS for insulation
- PC for optical discs, lenses, protective covers, LED
Novel devices
- More sustainable Energy Storage & Conversion Devices (Batteries, Supercapacitors, Fuel Cells)
- Organic Electronics, Photonics & Optoelectronics (OLEDs, OPVs, Perovskite solar cells, Photocatalytic devices)
Benefits
Finalists will receive:
- Tailored support: access to Global Start-up Service Customised Support
- Visibility: promotion of your innovation via ISC3 communication channels
- Networking: participation in a key matchmaking event with industry in 2026
- Training: individual and group pitch training for preparation of your matchmaking event 2026 pitch
- Cash prizes: the overall Innovation Challenge Winner will receive a cash prize of 15,000 EUR. Two separate categories “Special Impact” are endowed with cash prizes amounting to 5,000 EUR each.
Eligibility
- Eligible are all innovators and entrepreneurs, i.e., persons owning or representing the proposed innovation, employed by organisations including research institutes, start-ups, small-medium sized enterprises, or comparable institutions active in the development and realisation of sustainable chemistry solutions. Enterprises participating in the challenge shall have a staff headcount not exceeding 50 (full time equivalent) and an annual turnover of max. 10 million Euro.
- Enterprises majority-owned by large enterprises are not eligible for the award, except for innovations leading to the creation of independent spin-offs.
- Proposals submitted by innovators and entrepreneurs from developing countries and tackling challenges in developing countries are considered as particularly important. Female entrepreneurs are specifically encouraged to submit a proposal.
Assessment Criteria
The proposals will be assessed against the three main criteria:
- Innovation level. Is the innovation unique, distinct, and truly original?
- Business viability. What is the market potential of the innovation? Is the idea commercially feasible?
- Sustainability. What is the sustainability impact of the innovation?
Application
For more information, visit ISC3 Innovation Challenge.
