RDI
At Bondalti, Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) are the driving force that enables us to anticipate challenges and turn opportunities into concrete solutions. Rather than merely keeping pace with market and technological developments, we seek to lead change through knowledge, creativity, and the ability to deliver results.
We continuously invest in exploring new ideas, leveraging scientific knowledge, and collaborating with strategic partners, thereby creating the conditions to develop more efficient processes, differentiated products, and solutions that have a positive impact on industry and society.
Innovation is part of the way we think and act. It is through innovation that we strengthen our competitiveness, accelerate the transition to more sustainable models, and help build an industry that is prepared for the challenges of the future.
applications for European R&D projects
innovation pilot projects under way
invested in innovation
Research and Development
Research and Development (R&D) plays a central role in Bondalti’s strategy, serving as one of the company’s main drivers of innovation and an essential pillar of its long-term competitiveness and sustainability. Bondalti’s R&D activities are aligned with its mission to support the company’s growth by contributing to the development of solutions, processes, and products that address the technological, industrial, and market challenges of the chemical sector.
In 2025, Bondalti maintained a consistent R&D program aimed at strengthening technical expertise and supporting its business strategy. The main areas of focus included operational efficiency and robustness, emissions reduction, and the growth and development of new products. Of particular note are the efforts to develop new circular and sustainable processes and products, specifically through the recovery of waste and end-of-life materials for the production of high-value-added chemicals, in line with the main trends and needs of the European chemical industry. To this end, five R&D project proposals were submitted, including three European projects, for a total amount of 26 million euros.
The commitment to talent development and engagement with the academic community also resulted in the implementation of seven academic internships, four of which are industrial doctoral programs that promote knowledge transfer, the training of young professionals, and the strengthening of internal technical skills. In addition, R&D activities led to the publication of 16 internal technical papers, highlighting the generation and systematization of knowledge relevant to the organization.
Bondalti’s main R&D partners are higher education institutions, collaborative laboratories, or knowledge networks, such as PRODEQ—the Association for the Development of Chemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the University of Coimbra; HyLab—the Green Hydrogen Collaborative Laboratory; and GNIP—the National Group for Process Intensification—with which the company collaborates on the development of scientific and technical knowledge, the implementation of joint projects, and advanced training. These partnerships strengthen the link between industry, academia, and the business community, promoting innovation, knowledge sharing, and the development of solutions with potential for industrial application.
Innovation Strategy
At Bondalti, innovation is neither a one-time exercise nor an isolated initiative by a single department, but rather a structured system that links strategy, culture, processes, and metrics to real business impact. It is a way to build the future.
Always keeping the company’s mission in mind, Bondalti views innovation as a strategic lever to drive impact on People, the Business, and the transition to a greener and more digital economy. It has therefore become essential to cultivate a collaborative ecosystem based on agile, evidence-based methodologies that demonstrate the impact and return on investment of innovations; by 2025, the implementation of the Innovation Strategy had consolidated this model, refined metrics, and reinforced a more mature culture—that is, fewer assumptions, more evidence; fewer intentions, more impact.
Where We Choose to Innovate
Bondalti’s innovation journey is centered on two strategic pillars. On the one hand, it aims to strengthen and transform the core business through innovations in operational efficiency, the adoption of technological and digital solutions, adjacent diversification, and the integration of circularity principles.
In 2025, most projects focused on operational efficiency and effectiveness, with 16 projects, highlighting the priority placed on strengthening competitiveness and optimizing processes. At the same time, the company continued to pursue its decarbonization initiatives, exploring opportunities in low-carbon products, the integration of renewable energy, and energy storage solutions.
This duality—strengthening the present and building the future—allows us to balance short-term impact with medium- and long-term transformative ambition.
Bondalti will continue to invest in innovation, with the aim of promoting a productive knowledge-based economy, diversifying its business model, and driving continuous improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of its industrial processes.
Increased Investment and Strategic Ambition
In 2025, Bondalti invested 6.54 million euros in innovation, more than double the amount recorded in 2024 (4.25 million euros). This increase was reflected in the share of innovation investment in the business, which rose to 1.37% of revenue, compared to 0.28% the previous year.
In addition, 22 projects remained in the innovation pipeline—the same number as in 2024—but with greater internal momentum. Eight projects were launched (compared to six new projects the previous year) and nine projects were completed (only one in 2024), demonstrating greater maturity in pipeline management and a stronger ability to execute.
Another clear sign of the innovation system’s evolution was the significant increase in the number of pilot projects. In 2025, five pilot projects were carried out, compared to just one in 2024. This growth demonstrates a greater ability to transform concepts into real-world tests in an industrial setting, reducing the time between idea and practical validation.
Strategic Partnerships and Ecosystem
In 2025, there were 17 strategic partnerships (compared to 29 in 2024).
This reduction reflects a more selective and impact-driven approach, prioritizing collaborations with greater strategic alignment and a higher likelihood of generating tangible results. Open innovation remains a fundamental pillar, enabling faster access to knowledge, technology, and new business models, while complementing internal capabilities.
Looking ahead to 2026, the challenge is to further transfer projects to the business units and translate the portfolio’s maturity into recurring financial impact, both in terms of margins and new sources of revenue. Ensuring that innovation is not merely a source of ideas, but a true generator of sustainable value—and that innovation remains a priority at Bondalti.
Digital Transformation
Building on the Digital Transformation strategy launched in 2024, Bondalti continued in 2025 to strengthen its engagement with all areas of the company, with visible results in a growing number of optimized processes and broader adoption of new technologies by the teams. Efforts remained focused on the three fundamental pillars of the strategy:
People are at the heart of digital transformation and are the key drivers that determine the success of these initiatives. If the main goal of digital transformation is to improve work processes, this is only possible by involving those who carry out that work on a daily basis.
Make existing processes more effective and efficient by applying proven technologies, allowing people to focus on tasks that add greater value.
Technology should be viewed as a tool to support processes and people. Access to the latest technologies and their proper application ensure that the company operates in an integrated and efficient manner.
Artificial Intelligence
Recognizing the increasingly pressing challenges of digitalization, particularly those related to the responsible and effective use of the latest Generative Artificial Intelligence tools, Bondalti continued in 2025 the work begun the previous year, expanding its Artificial Intelligence training program to include new formats and levels of depth.
In addition to continuing existing training programs, new training courses—of varying levels of complexity—were created, tailored to the diverse profiles and needs of employees. This approach made it possible to expand knowledge of AI among a growing number of people within the organization, strengthening the skill set necessary for the responsible use of these tools.
Technologies like these continue to transform our daily lives, and ongoing investment in training ensures that the organization keeps pace with these developments in a solid and sustainable way, paving the way for an increasingly mature application of AI in our world.