Sharing knowledge and solving challenges through the application of groundbreaking technologies have always been at the heart of Naturex's business. Launched in March 2016, the Ingenium program, which aims to encourage technological advances and the introduction of new products through collaboration with external partners, has been a great success this year. Ingenium is well placed to make a positive contribution to Naturex's progress, helping the group to achieve its Bright2020 strategic objectives.

Eight successful collaborations over the year
During 2016, Naturex collaborated with a number of international partners. These cooperations include, among others, a licensing agreement with the Barry Callebaut group that enabled the launch of Cocoactiv', a cocoa extract with a high flavanol content, and with Poland-based Adamed, which led to the market introduction of Aronox®, an aronia extract targeting cardiovascular health. Other companies such as Mazza Innovation, FP Innovation, EPC Natural Products, In-Vitro Plant-tech and Green2Chem have also collaborated with Naturex to develop responsible and innovative natural solutions. The latest transaction involves the acquisition of certain assets from French company Dialpha SAS, including patents, trademarks and clinical studies on three health ingredients. These ingredients, derived from cashew nuts, cinnamon and chicory, are specifically designed to help regulate blood sugar levels and manage weight. The group intends to study the potential of these ingredients, and their synergistic effect in combination with other ingredients in the Naturex portfolio.

Specific avenues for Open Innovation in 2017
"The past year has been a very productive one in terms of Open Innovation at Naturex," explains Doug Klaiber, responsible for the global roll-out of the Ingenium program. "We're delighted with the number of interesting opportunities we've received. We currently have dozens of opportunities in the pipeline, and we're identifying new ones every day. The challenge now is to focus on the most significant ones.

To this end, Naturex has defined four main areas of potential collaboration:
- Natural colors (especially blue, green and red);
- Innovative natural food preservation solutions;
- Natural phytoactive ingredients for health and cosmetic purposes
- Technologies or enriched ingredients of natural origin for nutrition (vitamins and minerals).
Klaiber adds: "We see Ingenium as a flexible tool that will help us achieve our Bright 2020 objectives.  Naturex is pleased and proud to share its botanical expertise with partners determined to implement innovative approaches."

As part of its mission to promote the use of essential oils in healthcare, the Gattefossé Foundation is awarding a grant to the Madagascan association AROVA (Aromatherapists of Vakinankaratra), which brings together doctors trained in aromatherapy.

This 5,000 euro grant is intended to finance training medical staff in Madagascan essential oils and paramedical services on the island. Eighty therapists were trained in 2013, 2014 and 2015 with the agreement of the Traditional Medicine Department of the Madagascan Ministry of Health, and this grant will enable us to train around a hundred more.

In agreement with the Madagascan Ministry of Health, AROVA provides training in the use of local essential oils, so that as many people as possible can benefit from their use in the island's health facilities (dispensaries, primary health care centers). The association also supplies oil blends to therapists trained in their use in health centers.
Training courses take the form of practical workshops in small groups. They help improve medical practices through exchanges on case studies, while presenting the alternatives or complementarities of essential oils with conventional medicine (e.g. in infectiology). These practices take into account the cost of treatment and the patient's quality of life.

The essential oils used by AROVA are supplied at wholesale prices by the NGO "Coeur de Forêt", which is involved in reforestation in Madagascar (100,000 trees planted from 2006 to 2014) and supports projects benefiting local populations.
Malagasy caregivers need training in the use of local essential oils. at the heart of public health, the social economy and sustainable development. Madagascar produces more than 30 different essential oils, but this national wealth is still poorly organized, and all production is exported to foreign countries, with little or no benefit to the health of the Madagascans themselves, or to the country's family economy.
In addition, previous studies published in international journals have demonstrated that it is possible to treat effectively - and at low cost - a large number of common pathologies in the field of respiratory and dermatological diseases, and in general all types of infection, thus opening up the prospect of using oils produced in Madagascar for the benefit of the population, and particularly in dispensaries frequented by the most destitute.
Thus, the availability of oils, their low cost and their effectiveness are conducive to the emergence of a strong aromatherapy movement and demand from the island's doctors and healthcare professionals is growing. The Malagasy Ministry of Health recently expressed its support for the extension of phyto-aromatherapy on the island, encouraging the development of training courses.