December 15, 2011

Borealis Social Fund promotes pupils, students and research programmes in plastics engineering

With its Borealis Social Scholarship Programme, Borealis ensures the sustained promotion of pupils, students and international research programmes years into the future. Long-term contracts have now been signed with the Johannes Kepler University Linz and the TGM Vienna (School of Technology) along with the GFKT - Society for the Advancement of Plastics Technology.

Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative solutions in the area of base chemicals and plastics, utilises its Borealis Social Fund to promote social projects in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. And with the Borealis Social Scholarship Programme, pupils, students and international research programmes in Europe have been targeted to receive support for the first time.

"For us, Corporate Social Responsibility means not only investing in our own company, but in society as a whole," says Mark Garrett, Borealis Chief Executive. "And society needs skilled professionals who are dedicated to finding innovative solutions for a sustainable future. As a leader in the plastics industry, we see it as part of our duty to society to provide financial support to pupils and students who need it to help them pursue their courses of study in these fields. The Borealis Social Scholarship project is aimed at helping them realise their full potential," Garrett explains.

The Borealis Social Scholarship Programme provides support in four main areas:

  1. Talented pupils attending vocational/technical secondary schools whose interest in plastics engineering should be encouraged; they are to receive financial assistance in all stages of learning up to university level.
  2. Support for talented students exhibiting high potential in the areas of chemistry and plastics engineering, yet who lack the financial means to develop their full potential. These students will receive support from Borealis during their studies while earning their degrees.
  3. Assistance and support for women writing their dissertations in the areas of chemistry and plastics engineering. It is especially important to promote women studying plastics engineering, as they are significantly underrepresented in the field.
  4. The Mobility Programme aims to encourage international exchange among students in the areas of chemistry and plastics engineering.

"It is especially pleasing that Borealis – having already successfully supported the establishment of the Plastics Engineering study courses at JKU Linz – is making yet another pioneering contribution to the education of our students. The plastics industry is one of the most important future industries, period. And robust demand for our study courses is the best indicator of this trend," says Rector Richard Hagelauer of Johannes Kepler University Linz.

For Karl Reischer, Director of the TGM Vienna (School of Technology), the Borealis support programme is an essential building block in the sustained promotion of young talent in the field of plastics engineering. "Thanks to Borealis and its programme, talented young people will be able to enter this discipline and successfully complete their education and training. But the overall advantages the programme offers are even greater, thanks to the resulting availability of a pool of well-trained plastics engineers so vital to our economy," Reischer explains.

Over many years Borealis has maintained a healthy working relationship with both the JKU Linz and the TGM Vienna. In order to ensure the longevity of this co-operation, five-year contracts have now been signed with both institutes.

"Thanks to our owners OMV and IPIC, we can use part of our net profits to establish a social fund which is used to help young, talented people obtain a well-rounded education. Our aim in the medium term is to expand the Borealis Social Scholarship Programme to include international institutes and research programmes," Mark Garrett adds.

END

More information about the Borealis Social Scholarship Programme may be obtained at: 

TGM Vienna (School of Technology) 
Helmut Elmecker, Department Head Materials Science, TGM Vienna
Wexstrasse 19-23, 1200 Vienna, Tel.: +43 1 33126 300, 
E-mail: helmut.elmecker@tgm.ac.at

Johannes Kepler University Linz
Institute for Chemical Technology of Organic Materials, 
Dr. Christian Paulik, Head of Institute, 
Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Tel.: +43 732 2468 8804 508, 
E-mail: christian.paulik@jku.at

For further information, please contact:
Dorothea Wiplinger, External Communications Manager Borealis
Tel: +43 1 22 400 608
E-mail: dorothea.wiplinger@borealisgroup.com

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Borealis is a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions that create value for society. With sales of EUR 6.3 billion in 2010, customers in over 120 countries, and around 5,100 employees worldwide, Borealis is owned 64% by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi and 36% by OMV, the leading energy group in the European growth belt. Borealis is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has production locations, innovation centres and customer service centres across Europe and the Americas.

Through Borouge, a joint venture between Borealis and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the world’s major oil and gas companies, the company’s footprint reaches out to the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the Indian sub-continent and Africa. Established in 1998, Borouge employs approximately 1,600 people, has customers in more than 50 countries and is headquarters are in Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Singapore.

Building on Borealis’ unique Borstar® technology and their more than 50 years experience in polyolefins, Borealis and Borouge provide innovative, value creating plastics solutions for the infrastructure (pipe systems and power and communication cables), automotive and advanced packaging markets. In addition, Borealis offers a wide range of base chemicals from melamine and fertilizer to phenol and acetone.

Today, Borealis and Borouge have a manufacturing capacity of over 5.4 million tonnes of polyolefins (polyethylene and polypropylene) per year having recently completed a 1.5 million tonne capacity expansion in Abu Dhabi. The Borouge 3 plant expansion will be completed at the end of 2013 with a further capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year (t/y) being fully operational in mid-2014. The companies continue to invest to ensure that their customers throughout the value chain and across the globe can always rely on product quality, consistency and security of supply.

Borouge and Borealis are committed to the principles of Responsible Care® and proactively contribute to addressing the world’s water and sanitation challenges through their Water for the World™ initiative.

For more information visit:
www.borealisgroup.com 
www.borouge.com
www.waterfortheworld.net

Daplen and Water for the World are trademarks of the Borealis group.
Borstar is a registered trademark of the Borealis group.


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