Our History

A pioneering heritage has led to the creation of a centre of excellence with expertise across many specialisms

CDT pioneered the development of polymer (organic) light emitting diode (P-OLED) technology and its use in electronic displays and lighting.

P-OLEDs offer:

consumers higher quality displays than traditional LCD, while being more energy efficient
manufacturers decreased production costs through the use of large area patterning techniques such as inkjet printing and slot die coating

CDT was spun out in 1992 from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, and floated on the NASDAQ National Market in 2004. We became part of Sumitomo Chemical in 2007.

Following the acquisition, CDT focused its efforts on getting P-OLED technology ready for market.

We successfully completed the development of printable OLED materials and transferred the technology to Sumitomo Chemical for large scale manufacturing and commercialisation.

CDT has now broadened its scope significantly. As Sumitomo Chemical’s only corporate R&D centre outside Japan, our focus is on creating novel technologies for a better, greener society.

Our technology pipeline goes beyond our traditional core competences and is based on a range of scientific disciplines, always with an eye firmly on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.