FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 14, 2012

ACS Green Chemistry Institute® to host Business Plan Competition: Entrepreneur’s inaugural cash prize to boost green chemistry entrepreneurs

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2012—A new business plan competition sponsored by the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute® (GCI), gives individuals and organizations the opportunity to help accelerate green chemistry commercialization and create quality jobs.

“Designing and producing chemicals in a manner that reduces or eliminates their impact on human health and our environment is the shift that industry needs to invest in the reset of the chemical enterprise,” said ACS GCI Director Robert Peoples, Ph.D.

“Our goal is to encourage implementation of green chemistry and engineering and to do so in a way that makes sound business sense. We are seeking to illustrate that green chemistry should be viewed as a solid investment, both for the bottom line and for the environment, and we are inviting people to create rigorous business plans to help make that happen.”

The competition seeks business plans that incorporate green chemistry and engineering in the initial stages of the business life cycle, and it consists of two rounds. First, an abridged business plan of no more than five pages should be submitted by March 30, 2012 to: http://acswebcontent.acs.org/gcande/pdf/Registration%20form-Business%20Competition.pdf .

In the second round, applicants whose initial plans are selected by the judges will be asked to submit a comprehensive plan (maximum of 25 pages, including all supplemental materials). These plans will be presented at the 16th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, to be held June 18-20 in Washington, D.C.

The top two plans will be selected by a judging panel and the winners will be announced at the conference. They will each receive a cash prize (amount to be determined.) Investors, business leaders and government officials will be present to identify viable business opportunities for potential financing. The winners will also be provided with mentoring and ACS resources to help with successful implementation of their business plans.

For additional information contact Shefali Algoo at ACS GCI: s_algoo@acs.org. For general conference information visit the conference website: www.gcande.org.

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Media Contact

Shefali Algoo
202-590-8931
s_algoo@acs.org