Arlington, Virginia-The Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry (API) has called for nominations for the 2006 Polyurethane "Innovation Award." The API has expanded this year's awards into three categories - Pioneering, Products and Technology.
Finalists will be selected and winners announced at the API Polyurethanes 2006 Technical Conference, "Experience New Heights," held in Salt Lake City, Utah, 25-27 Sept at The Grand America Hotel.
"API recognises the importance of the efforts and foresight of companies and individuals whose visions and perseverance have brought new products to the marketplace," said Dick Mericle of API in a press statement on the awards. "Discovering new and brilliant applications is an integral part of our industry, and this year's award program will shine the spotlight on products and technologies that have made history in the past, as well as those that will continue to aid in the advancement of polyurethanes well into the future."
API Innovation Award categories are: .
Pioneering Category: Product/Technology Innovations from 1937-1987.
Products Category: End Use/Finished Product Innovations from 1988-present.
Technology Category: Technology Innovations (chemistry, processing, etc.) from 1988-present.
Companies or individuals interested in entering the award program must submit an application no later than 5:00 pm EDT 4 Aug 2006. A panel of four judges representing a cross section of polyurethanes experience and knowledge, and representing industry and industry associations, will evaluate all submissions and choose finalists for each category.
Finalist entries will be on display at the Polyurethanes 2006 Technical Conference, and attendees will have a chance to cast one vote per category for the entry that they believe demonstrates the most innovative use of polyurethanes. The results will be announced on Wed 27 Sept 2006, during the closing session of the conference.
The Polyurethanes 2006 Technical Conference will feature 18 technical sessions, four issue-oriented sessions and poster presentations, with 90 technical papers presented over the three days. The topical panel discussions will be led by experts in the fields of globalisation, natural disasters, indoor air and energy efficiency. These issue-oriented sessions will include general discussions, as well as the impact of each issue on the global polyurethane industry.
Paul Solman, a popular business correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, will deliver the keynote address at 10:30 a.m. on Mon 25 Sept. Solman will address the topic of "China on the Rise." API anticipates that the Conference will attract more than 1100 people from 40 countries. For more information about API and the Polyurethanes 2006 Technical Conference, contact API at 703-741-5654, or visit the API web site at
