Leveraging technologies to address major societal challenges

Tech4Impact, founded in 2017, is EPFL's pioneering multi-stakeholder platform where students, researchers, large enterprises, NGOs and startups come together to enhance the university's social and environmental impact in the areas of education, research and innovation. Two years on from its launch, Tech4Impact is tackling some of the major societal challenges of our time. EPFL's social impact and sustainability initiative has set up Bachelor's, Master's and research grants so that students and researchers can turn today's groundbreaking ideas into tomorrow's solutions. The platform is also giving a helping hand to innovative and sustainable startups. Three researchers from EPFL's Laboratory of Sustainable and Catalytic Processing (LPDC) have gone into business together with Tech4Impact's support, leveraging technology they developed at the lab to convert waste plant matter - or biomass - into valuable molecules for the flavor and fragrance industry. "Our cost-effective technology uses every part of the wood," explains Florent Héroguel, a scientist at the LPDC. "We can extract lignin, an organic polymer found in wood, and break it down into individual aromatic compounds to make artificial flavorings and fragrances such as vanilla and smoky barbecue sauce." The next step was to take the research and turn it into a viable business.