- 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
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. 
