The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI, Washington, D.C.) of the American Chemistry Council on July 20 announced a call for entries for its 2011 Polyurethane Innovation Award. The award winner will be announced during the closing session of the Polyurethanes 2011 Technical Conference, which runs Sept. 26-28 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. Nominations for this year’s award must be received by CPI no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12, 2011. Click here for the award rules and entry form.

“CPI’s Polyurethane Innovation Award recognizes the ingenuity and foresight of companies and individuals whose visions and perseverance bring new products, technologies and initiatives to the marketplace,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. “With this award, CPI promotes the roles that innovation and advancements in technology play in the polyurethane industry.”

Award nominations may include finished products, initiatives, training or education programs, or processes or processing equipment. Entries must represent new ideas, technologies or processes that have not been previously submitted for the Innovation Award or in the marketplace longer than 12 months prior to this year’s submission deadline. All eligible submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges comprised of experts representing technical disciplines and the polyurethane supply chain.

Finalists will be notified by Aug. 22 and will receive one complimentary full registration to the Polyurethanes 2011 Technical Conference. During the opening session of the conference, finalists will give a three-minute presentation on their innovation, which will also be featured during the conference poster sessions. In addition, the 2010 Innovation Award winner, BASF’s FilterPave Porous Pavement System, will be showcased. The winner of the 2011 Innovation Award will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 28 during the closing session of the conference.

Companies or individuals interested in entering the award program must submit an application no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12, 2011. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

Registration for the Polyurethanes 2011 Technical Conference is now open. For more information on the conference, including the conference program and sponsorship opportunities, or to register, visit www.americanchemistry.com/polyurethane.