BASF will connect people and ideas in six locations worldwide at the Creator Space tour, a year-long, global event series aiming to address the challenges of smart energy, food and urban living. The second stop, is taking place in Shanghai, China, from March 20 to 27, 2015, with a focus on tackling the challenges brought about by increased urbanization.

“The 150-year history of BASF shows that chemistry is an enabler for new ideas and solutions. In our anniversary year more than ever, we are connecting people and ideas to make meaningful contributions to society in accordance with our corporate purpose: ‘We create chemistry for a sustainable future,’” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE, responsible for Asia Pacific.

“2015 marks both the 150th anniversary of BASF and 130 years of BASF in China. In addition to global celebrations and a historical retrospective, BASF is taking the opportunity of its anniversary year to establish a new approach to collaboration with multiple stakeholders known as ‘co-creation’. This approach has great potential to boost innovation among BASF and its partners around the world, including here in China,” said Dr. Albert Heuser, President Functions Asia Pacific, President & Chairman Greater China, BASF.

The tour is part of BASF’s global co-creation program, Creator Space. Led by local, interdisciplinary, internal and external teams from areas such as business, science, technology, government, art, design, and sustainability, each stop in the Creator Space tour will explore a locally relevant topic. Following the first stop in Mumbai in January 2015, the tour has arrived in Shanghai, and will then move to New York, São Paulo, Barcelona and Ludwigshafen. Topics will range from sustainable consumption, to housing of the future, to intelligent solutions along the energy value chain. The Creator Space tour stop in Shanghai will take place at Expo I-Pavilion.

By 2020, 60% of Chinese will be living in cities. How will the choices of 700 million urban consumers in China affect economic, environmental, and social environment? At the Creator Space tour in Shanghai, more than 500 urbanization experts, business professionals, NGOs, academia and interested citizens with different perspectives and expertise will discuss solutions to this question and other important challenges.

Sessions at Creator Space Shanghai will include a variety of activities, with diverse groups of participants being invited, ranging from business and academia to government, NGOs and society in general.

Creator Space Summit – Our Lifestyle Choices Shape the Planet, a two-day expert summit bringing together specialists in technology, policy, quality of life and consumer behavior for intensive collaboration on solutions in Shanghai for challenges in the areas of food, textiles and electronics

• Employee jamming session to develop projects for employee volunteerism and cooperation with community organizations
• Public jamming session on better ways to manage organic waste through composting
• Customer innovation workshop to improve automotive sustainability for future mobility using new technologies
• 24-Hour Creatathon event bringing together students and transportation experts to develop a mobile app for a more sustainable individual transportation footprint
• Final competition round and awards ceremony for the Asia Pacific PhD challenge
• Unveiling of unique artwork installations, curated by renowned artist Yang Qingqing
• Kids’ Lab session with a series of safe, hands-on experiments focusing on agriculture for children aged 8-12
• Cinema evenings to showcase local documentaries on urban living

BASF has been a committed partner with China since 1885. Its history in China has been compiled for its anniversary in a book titled “Breaking New Ground.” The book was written by Michael Grabicki, the longtime head of BASF’s media relations team, and will be published in English, German and Chinese.

As part of the Creator Space program, BASF is also holding three high-level science symposia – in Ludwigshafen, Chicago and Shanghai. Renowned scientists from various disciplines will come to Shanghai in November this year to discuss sustainable urban living.

In order to create connections between physical and virtual co-creation, the  Creator Space online platform went live in September 2014. More than 2,000 participants are currently exchanging ideas in real-time on the three anniversary topics: urban living, energy, and food. The ideas and solutions online feed other anniversary activities and vice versa.