VISIONWORKS – TURNING VISIONS INTO REALITY Bayer MaterialScience is one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics. The company stands for extensive know-how in the area of materials. For knowledge and competence, with which high-quality materials are produced and technological applications are developed. For the customers. Their ideas, dreams, and visions. "Bayer MaterialScience is always on the forefront of innovation, constantly looking for new trends and solutions for tomorrow's products", says Ian Paterson, member of the Board of Bayer MaterialScience responsible for Innovation and Marketing. "We have a well-filled innovation pipeline. Together with our customers we devise solutions and tap new markets. It is with our know-how that we turn visions into reality. Staying true to our mission statement: VisionWorks." To further strengthen this innovative capability is the main objective of the New Business department. New Business investigates future products and markets,

concentrates all research activities of the company, and closely cooperates with the Business Units. Here, promising technologies, future market trends, and the latest developments are anticipated, detected and analysed – always in close cooperation with customers, institutions, universities, as well as further experts. Trendscouting and Open Innovation - i.e. finding and combining innovative ideas inside and outside the company - are parts of the applied methods. To make visions turn into reality. THE COMPETITION With the VisionsWorks Award, Bayer MaterialScience has for the first time staged a competition directed towards students of selected European design academies. It is the company's objective to support talented design newcomers, encouraging them to develop new applications based on Bayer MaterialScience products.