LONDON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- ICIS (http://www.icis.com), the world's leading information provider for the global chemical and oil industry, announces two new entry categories for the ICIS Innovation Awards 2008 (http://www.icis.com/awards), sponsored by Dow Corning (http://www.dowcorning.com). The awards are designed to recognise those companies that have made significant steps forward through R&D and innovation.

The awards, now in their fifth year, recognise outstanding innovation in the chemical industry and allow companies to celebrate their success in this vital arena. This year, ICIS and Dow Corning have introduced two new categories, reflecting the wider corporate role of innovation in the industry.

The new categories are: 'Best Business Innovation', giving entrants a chance to show how innovative they can be in the way they do business, and 'Best Innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)', which encompasses a whole range of social and environmental initiatives that companies are now making.

The two other categories remain the same: 'Best Product Innovation' and 'Best Innovation by an SME'.

"I believe it's important to recognise innovation born both in the lab and outside the lab - shining the spotlight on those talented individuals who are not afraid to take a chance. That's why this year I'm excited that the 2008 ICIS Innovation Awards will celebrate business innovation as well as innovation in corporate social responsibility (CSR)" said Stephanie Burns, chairman, president and CEO, Dow Corning Corporation.

"The Innovation Awards generate great interest in the industry - it's always very rewarding to see how enthusiastically the winners receive the news of their awards", said John Baker, global editor, ICIS. "It's very important for them within their companies, as well as for the publicity they generate externally from winning these awards" he added.

The Awards are open to entry from today, with a deadline for entries of 4 July 2008.

For more information or to enter the awards, visit http://www.icis.com/awards or call John Baker on +44-20-8652-3153.

Notes to Editors:

ICIS

ICIS, the world's leading information provider for the chemical and oil industry, is part of Reed Business Information (RBI), a division of Reed Business and a member of Reed Elsevier plc (525), (UK:REL) (US:RUK) (NL:45443) the world's leading publisher and information provider. For more information on ICIS visit http://www.icis.com

RBI publishes over 100 market leading publications, directories and online services, and organises many industry conferences and awards. The RBI portfolio includes Computer Weekly, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Commercial Motor, Community Care, Estates Gazette, Farmers Weekly, Flight International, New Scientist, Travel Weekly, Totaljobs.com, Caterer.com, CWJobs, Estates Gazette Interactive (EGi), ATI (Air Transport Intelligence), ICIS, Kellysearch, Kompass UK, and Bankers' Almanac. For a full listing visit http://www.reedbusiness.co.uk

Dow Corning

Dow Corning (www.dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicon-based technology and innovation, offering more than 7,000 products and services, Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of

Dow Corning's annual sales are outside the United States.

For further information please contact: John Baker ICIS Tel: +44-20-8652-3153 Email: john.baker@icis.com Leslie Orozco Dow Corning Tel: +1-989-496-8689 Email: leslie.orozco@dowcoring.com

For further information please contact: John Baker, ICIS, Tel: +44-20-8652-3153, Email: john.baker@icis.com. Leslie Orozco, Dow Corning, Tel: +1-989-496-8689, Email: leslie.orozco@dowcoring.com