ACS Award for Team Innovation 2017 Recipients Affiliated Institutions: Full List
The American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Team Innovation recognizes a multidisciplinary team that has moved a scientific discovery into a product that benefits society. For 2017, the award was given to a group of researchers from three institutions: the University of California, Santa Barbara, The Dow Chemical Company, and the Toyota Research Institute of North America.
The ACS Award for Team Innovation
The American Chemical Society gives this award to highlight the importance of collaboration in turning laboratory research into practical, market-ready technology. Unlike awards that honor a single scientist, the Team Innovation award requires a group of people who worked together across different fields and organizations American Chemical Society. The prize is not given for basic research alone but for the successful application of chemistry to solve a real-world problem.
The ACS national awards program started in 1922 with the Priestley Medal. The Team Innovation award is one of the more recent additions, reflecting the growing emphasis on translational science.
2017 Award Recipients and Their Affiliated Institutions
The 2017 ACS Award for Team Innovation was presented to a team that developed a new class of polymeric materials. The three affiliated institutions that housed the key contributors were:
- University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) – The academic partner where the fundamental polymer chemistry was discovered.
- The Dow Chemical Company – The industrial partner responsible for scaling up the material and bringing it to market.
- Toyota Research Institute of North America – The automotive partner that identified the application and integrated the material into a vehicle component.
The Role of Each Institution
Each institution played a distinct role in the innovation chain.
University of California, Santa Barbara provided the core scientific discovery. Researchers there first synthesized and characterized the new polymer structure. This work was published in peer-reviewed journals and formed the basis for the patent portfolio.
The Dow Chemical Company took the laboratory-scale discovery and developed a manufacturing process. Dow engineers solved problems related to cost, purity, and consistency. They also handled regulatory approvals and safety testing.
Toyota Research Institute of North America acted as the end-user. The team at Toyota tested the material in real automotive applications. They proved that the polymer could replace existing materials in car interiors, improving performance while reducing weight and cost.
Why This Team Won the Award
The ACS Award for Team Innovation is not given for incremental improvements. It requires a breakthrough that has clear commercial and societal impact. The 2017 team met these criteria for several reasons.
First, the polymer they developed had properties that were not achievable with existing materials. It combined high strength with flexibility and resistance to heat and chemicals. This made it suitable for use in engine compartments and other demanding environments.
Second, the team demonstrated that the material could be produced at scale. Many promising polymers fail at this stage because they are too expensive or difficult to manufacture. The Dow team solved these challenges, and Toyota validated the material in production vehicles.
Third, the project showed how academic and industrial teams can work together effectively. Each group brought different expertise, and the collaboration was structured so that all partners shared in the success.
A Practical Example of the Innovation
A concrete example of the team’s work is the development of a lightweight structural part for a Toyota vehicle. The part needed to withstand high temperatures and constant vibration. Traditional metal parts were heavy and prone to corrosion. The new polymer part was lighter, cheaper to produce, and lasted longer. This change reduced the vehicle’s overall weight, which improved fuel efficiency.
Key Takeaways
- The 2017 ACS Award for Team Innovation was given to a team from three institutions: University of California, Santa Barbara, The Dow Chemical Company, and Toyota Research Institute of North America.
- The award recognizes a multidisciplinary team that successfully moved a chemical discovery from the lab to a commercial product.
- Each institution contributed a different piece of the innovation: UCSB provided the basic science, Dow handled manufacturing scale-up, and Toyota integrated the material into a real product.
- This award is part of the larger ACS national awards program, which includes awards covering all areas of chemistry.
