UbiQD & Solvay Announce Greenhouse Technology Development Partnership

Cooperation focuses on developing and commercializing next-generation quantum dot-based specialty agricultural films for greenhouse coverings.

Los Alamos, New Mexico-USA & Brussels, Belgium —June 20, 2020—UbiQD, Inc., an advanced materials company powering product innovations in agriculture, clean energy, and security, and the Solvay Group, announced today that they have agreed to partner on the development of next-generation luminescent greenhouse technology under UbiQD’s UbiGro® family of specialty agricultural products.

UbiGro is a layer of light that helps plants get more from the sun. Powered by UbiQD’s safe and bright quantum dots, UbiGro uses fluorescence to create a more optimal light spectrum for crops. UbiQD’s dots convert underutilized colors of light from the sun, such as blue and UV, to more photosynthetically active colors of light. UbiQD has demonstrated plants grow faster under the orange UbiGro product; consistently producing up to 20% larger harvests for farmers.

“We are only just beginning to see what UbiGro can do for the greenhouse industry, and this exciting new partnership with Solvay will accelerate deployment of a full-cover solution,” said Hunter McDaniel, UbiQD Founder and CEO. “Solvay is the industry leader in greenhouse film additives, and they are widely recognized for their polymer innovation as well as supply chain reliability.”

Through the partnership, growers will be able to achieve spectrum optimization without needing to change existing greenhouse designs or invest in lighting fixtures or electricity infrastructure.

“Our innovative solutions have helped drive the growth of the $3 billion greenhouse cover market,” explained Olivier Touret, Vice President, Solvay. “We look forward to partnering with a company equally innovative and committed to growing the market.”

Eric Aubay, Business Development Director, Solvay, added, “We intend to leverage our rich heritage in polyethylene stabilizers and additives to accelerate the development of what will be the highest performing cover films available.”

The cooperation will benefit from leveraging the existing greenhouse cover film supply chain. Other objectives of the partnership include ensuring quantum dot additive processability at an industrial scale, as well as demonstrating the fluorescent layer stabilization in various climates and greenhouse constructions.

About UbiQD, Inc.

UbiQD is an advanced materials company powering product innovations in agriculture, clean energy, and security. Our quantum dots enable industry leaders to harness the power of light. UbiGro, is a layer of light that uses fluorescence to create a more optimal greenhouse spectrum for crops. Headquartered in Los Alamos, New Mexico, the company is licensing technology developed at leading research institutions, including Los Alamos National Laboratory and MIT. To learn more, please visit: https://ubiqd.com and https://ubigro.com.

About Solvay S.A.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Learn more at www.solvay.com.