DIC Corporation Signs JDA with Checkerspot to Develop Advanced High-Performance Materials

Tokyo, Japan – DIC Corporation, a Japanese multinational leader in fine chemicals and materials development and Checkerspot, Inc., a high performance materials innovation company, have entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to create a new class of novel, high performance polyols. DIC will leverage Checkerspot’s full stack, materials innovation platform that designs materials from the molecular level through to the final product. Checkerspot’s design centric approach to applications development and product creation integrates biotechnology, chemistry, and advanced fabrication to bring to life unique high performance, sustainable materials.

The JDA also provides for the development of a commercial supply agreement between the companies for use by DIC of the first targeted, novel high-performance polyol. The partnership will focus on creating new and improved products and formulations for adhesives, coatings, printing inks and lubricants businesses. The work will be carried out at the Checkerspot’s labs and headquarters in Berkeley, California.

“DIC is focusing on technology that delivers value for future generations and better performance for products and applications today. Partnering with Checkerspot fits perfectly with DIC’s sustainable mission when it comes to innovation. Checkerspot is building a design -centric platform for new materials science that we see as a clear fit with our global goals. DIC will make use of Checkerspot's already established technologies for chemical products in the production of algae oils,” said Kazunari Sakai, Managing Executive Officer DIC.

“At Checkerspot we strongly believe in working with companies that think differently, share our passion for innovation and share our mission to create new-to-the-world high performance materials, that are also more sustainable. We are excited to be working with DIC on developing new materials that will both perform better and be better for our planet,” said Charles Dimmler, CEO Checkerspot.

Established in 1908, DIC Corporation is the core of the DIC Group, a leading multinational chemicals organization that conducts its operations through a network of over 170 companies in more than 60 countries and territories. The DIC Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of printing inks, organic pigments and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) compounds—key engineering plastics—in terms of global market share. The Group also supplies a wide range of distinctive fine chemicals products, including polymers and liquid crystals (LCs).

Checkerspot is a design-centric advanced materials company. Advances in understanding of biology, chemistry, and materials science are converging with advances in computational, experimental and fabrication tools, unleashing capabilities Checkerspot once only imagined. By engaging directly with product users and partnering with socially responsible corporations, Checkerspot designs and brings to market superior products with better materials. Checkerspot believes in open-minded innovation. From concept to consumer, Checkerspot listens to impassioned pioneers every step of the way so that it can make better products that solve real world problems.

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