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B&C-Privatstiftung: European innovation award EARTO 2016 goes to Semperit

Last night, Semperit and the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (PCCL) received the European innovation award EARTO 2016 in Brussels for the development of Sempermed® Syntegra UV, the first anti-allergenic surgical glove worldwide. With innovative production technology, unique product characteristics and an energy-efficient manufacturing process, both development partners prevailed against a total of 35 competitors. A unique feature of this product is that the surgical glove – which is made from polyisoprene, a material similar to natural latex – is cured using UV light instead of potentially allergenic chemical accelerators.

“We are very happy that we were able to bring the EARTO, the most important European innovation award, to Austria. This proves the high innovation power of Semperit. With the Sempermed® Syntegra UV, we have succeeded in developing a surgical glove that prevents allergic reactions. Since it was brought onto the market in 2013, it has enabled us to contribute to an improvement in the quality of life of millions of professionals in the European healthcare sector,” says Richard Ehrenfeldner, Chief Operating Officer of Sempermed. There was also great joy about the award at the UAR associated company PCCL, says Martin Payer, Chairman of the Board: “For us, the EARTO is a major recognition of our research work for several years. Our goal was a results-oriented, efficient research that we were able to realise in the best way with Semperit as our partner. The next innovation by PCCL and Semperit is already in the pipeline.” Wilfried Enzenhofer, CEO of Upper Austrian Research GmbH, emphasises: “We are very proud that a research cooperation of Upper Austrian Research received the desired EARTO innovation award 2016. This proves once again that the research performance of the UAR Group is at the highest international level.” CO2 footprint reduction

Alongside the innovative production technology, the EARTO judges were also convinced by the unique properties of the Sempermed® Syntegra UV. The glove that is gentle on the skin is equivalent to a premium latex surgical glove in terms of tactile sense, wearer comfort and fit. A further factor was the energy-efficient manufacturing process, which by means of lower temperatures and higher throughput rates leads to a significant reduction in the CO2 footprint. The process is patented and has already received a number of awards.
EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisation) is an international non-profit organisation based in Brussels. With the EARTO Award, the organisation recognises innovations, which bring substantial social or economic benefits to the EU. The award was presented this year for the eighth time in succession.

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