New uses for field corn wanted in fourth Consider Corn Challenge - Indiana Corn and Soy

New uses for field corn wanted in fourth Consider Corn Challenge

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is launching its fourth Consider Corn Challenge. This open-innovation contest invites participants to answer the call and submit proposals for new uses of field corn as a primary feedstock for producing novel sustainable chemicals and products with quantifiable market demand.

“Consumers have a genuine interest in biobased products; and corn is investing in solutions to meet that need,” said NCGA Market Development Action Team (MDAT) Chair and Colorado farmer Troy Schneider. “In order to continue drawing in the cutting-edge, game changing participation we have seen for the past three years, the prize pool for the fourth challenge has been increased to $250,000.”

Previous winners of the Consider Corn Challenge contests have scaled up to the next phase of development, received additional grant funding, entered into joint agreements and obtained registration for state biobased production incentives.

“The Consider Corn Challenge brought Låkril Technologies visibility and contact with multiple corn growers associations and industrial corporations,” said Chris Nicholas, co-founder and president of Låkril Technologies and a past winner of Consider Corn Challenge III. “Relationships developed from this interaction allowed us to
scale out and expand our business.”

If all 15 winners of the Consider Corn Challenge I, II and III reached full commercialization with products available in the marketplace, the potential for additional corn demand would be approximately 3.4 billion bushels.

“As corn farmers continue to press forward with advanced technology that allows them to do more with less, they are able to meet the growing needs for food, feed, fuel and new uses,” Schneider added. “This contest continues to help us think outside of the box and to meet the needs of our customers who are asking for sustainable, biobased products.”

One to six winners will be selected for the Consider Corn Challenge IV, with a total prize of $250,000, split equally
between winners. The submission deadline is June 30, at 5 p.m. CT; and winners will be announced at October’s Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC) in San Francisco, Calif.

Success criteria

Scoring will be based on the entry’s ability to address and show alignment to NCGA’s evaluation criteria. An entry should enable or provide access to a new market for corn, with preference given to entries that focus on one or more of these five specific application areas:

  • Novel mixes of PLA, PBS, and PLH or other combination or molecule for the purpose of timed degradable plastic. Shelf-life information should be included in submission details.
  • Novel mixes of glucose-derived PHA and PBS or another biobased compostable with high tensile strength and environmental biodegradability. Entries compatible with ruminant digestion will score higher.
  • Heavy duty fuels or drop in chemicals (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel; biodiesel derived from corn glucose derived directly from fermentation to lipids or catalysis from ethanol, bunker fuel, etc.)
  • Carbon fiber application (biobased polyacrylonitrile)
  • Other high value molecules or platform molecule that can demonstrate at least two derivatives with short term commercial application.

The approach uses components of the corn kernel – or corn-based ethanol – as primary feedstock. Entries will be evaluated based on volume of corn utilized.

A preference will be given to approaches that significantly drive the utilization of field corn. Preference will also
be given to entries that have already demonstrated the proposed technology at laboratory scale, producing at least
milligram quantities. Finally, a preference is given if there is a clear path to commercialization or if the entrant has demonstrated experience in taking a process or plan from lab scale to commercial scale.

Ideally, the entry team has available funding or support from potential commercialization partners.

Entry eligibility

All entries should address one of these five categories:

  • Biobased materials from novel mixes of corn-derived plastics
  • Compostable plastics with high tensile strength, such as netting or packaging materials
  • Heavy duty fuels or drop in chemicals (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel; biodiesel derived from corn glucose, bunker fuel, etc)
  • Carbon fiber
  • Other high-value molecules

A previous entry submitter who did not win may submit again if they have made substantial improvements and
progress towards commercialization or have identified new markets which may offer greater volumes of corn utilization. The following individuals are ineligible to submit:

  • Submissions from individuals who do not own the represented intellectual property (IP) or who have not been authorized by the IP owner(s) to submit on their behalf are ineligible.
  • A previous winner of the Consider Corn Challenge I or Consider Corn Challenge II or Consider Corn Challenge III may not submit a proposal that represents substantially the same approach that NCGA already recognized as a winner.

The following types of approaches are ineligible:

  • Proposals which provide only incremental improvements for established commercial processes.
  • Approaches that displace corn in a 1:1 fashion, for example a technology for converting corn to fuel ethanol that doesn’t dramatically improve economics.
  • Proposals for new foods derived from corn.
  • Proposals for sweet corn.

Submission requirements

Applicants must download, complete, and submit the Consider Corn Challenge IV (CCCIV) entry form by 5 p.m., Central time, on June 30. Applicants may upload supplemental documents with the submission.

The non-confidential Challenge entry should use the CCCIV entry form and include the following:

  • A clear, concise description of your proposed approach, including which of the five specific application areas the approach addresses and which feedstock the entry is based upon, and at what quantities.
  • An indication of the technical maturity of the proposed approach to include supporting data and availability of samples.
  • Describe the steps, activity, estimated budget and timeline to reach commercial scale.
  • Discuss the intellectual property (IP) related to your approach and provide letter/s of support and prospects for matching funds to support commercialization, if available.
  • Disclose any prior support the applicant has received from NCGA or other state corn associations.
  • Describe the entry team’s background and related experience in commercializing new technology.
  • Optionally, provide a private link to a short (2-5 minute) video presentation in which the team pitches its entry and capabilities.

Applicants who require assistance to submit an entry should contact NCGA at considercorn@ncga.com
To learn more, go online to ncga.com/ConsiderCorn

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