BASF Accolade Deployment

Embargoed Release: 07:00hrs 13th December 2004

                                  SOPHEON PLC                                  
                                  ('Sopheon')                                  

                 BASF Implements Sopheon's Accolade Portfolio                  
                         and Process Management System                         

               Sopheon Continues Penetration of Chemical Industry
                     With Deployment by Global Market Leader

Sopheon, the international software and services company, is pleased to
announce that BASF AG, the world's leading chemical company, has extended
deployment of the Sopheon Accolade portfolio and process management system in
all relevant business and research divisions, to more than 1,500 users.

With approximately $37 billion in sales, BASF AG has 87,000 employees at
production sites and distribution offices worldwide, including 7,500 employees
in research and development. The company has a history of more than 130 years
of chemical innovation. It is credited with founding the 'plastics age' in
1929, and today is conducting leading-edge research in biotechnology,
nanotechnology and energy management. In order to further improve its
innovation activities, BASF decided to standardize its method of innovation
management. It subsequently looked for software that could support that method
easily and effectively. After trials of competitive solutions, BASF chose
Sopheon's Accolade based on a variety of functional advantages, including its
ease-of-use, and the speed and ease with which it can be configured and
deployed.

'Having the right systems to support our innovation efforts is essential to our
ability to take advantage of new market opportunities,' said Thomas Meyer, who
coordinates global research for BASF and heads the Accolade implementation
team. 'Our trials proved the capability of both Sopheon and Accolade to support
the achievement of our product and process development goals. Sopheon's
chemical industry and process manufacturing experience was evident in their
understanding of our organizational and technical requirements. We expect that
the way in which Accolade guides and informs the product development process
will result in strong acceptance of the software. We are making Sopheon's
solution an integral component of our innovation infrastructure.'

Sopheon partners Sopheon Vertriebs GmbH and Sopheon Business Applications GmbH
are responsible for the sale, implementation and support of Accolade at BASF.
IBM Deutschland GmbH is working as a partner with Sopheon in the BASF
implementation effort. Dieter Jaeger, chief executive officer of Sopheon
Vertriebs GmbH, said, 'We are proud that BASF chose our solution for their
product development needs. We also appreciate the strong cooperation and
support that we received from IBM during Accolade's rollout.'

'Looking beyond its stature as a global sales leader, BASF epitomizes the
chemical industry's focus on sustainable innovation as the key to addressing
current market challenges and to leveraging new technologies for growth,' said
Andy Michuda, chief executive officer of Sopheon. 'This win exemplifies the
market's continuing validation of our solution and of our strategy to focus on
the innovation process and product portfolio management needs of select
industry verticals such as specialty chemicals. Accolade's momentum in the
global chemicals market is reflected in the fact that fourteen chemical and
chemical-related companies have been added to our client roster in the past
twelve months. As part of our relationship with BASF, we will work together to
further evolve Accolade's capabilities as a differentiated, high-value
solution.'

Sopheon Accolade® is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc.

All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the sole

property of their respective owners.

About BASF AG

Headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF is the world's leading chemical
company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our
company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system
solutions and high-quality products. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals,
plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to
crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional
market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles
of sustainable development. For more information, please visit www.basf.com.

About Sopheon in Germany

Located in Darmstadt, Germany, Sopheon Vertriebs GmbH and Sopheon Business
Applications GmbH are independently owned enterprises chartered to partner with
Sopheon in distributing the Accolade product development system to companies in
German-speaking countries. Their responsibilities include the provision of
installation, implementation and support services. For more information, please
visit www.sopheon.de.

About Sopheon

Sopheon (LSE: SPE) is an international provider of software and services that
help organizations improve the business impact of product development. The
Sopheon Accolade® product development system automates gate- or phase-based
product development processes and provides strategic decision support that
allows companies to improve innovation, cut product development spending waste
and shorten time to market. Sopheon's Monitor software operates as a 'reading
robot' that automatically reviews, filters, analyzes and pushes relevant
content to healthcare and engineering professionals to enable effective
compliance with protocols, standards and regulations. Sopheon is listed on the
AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and on the Euronext in the Netherlands.
For more information, please visit www.sopheon.com.

For further information contact:

Barry Mence, Chairman   Sopheon plc                  Tel : + 44 (0) 1483 685   
                                                     735                       
Arif Karimjee, CFO                                                             
                                                                               
Adam Reynolds           Hansard Communications       Tel : + 44 (0) 207 245    
                                                     1100                      
Andrew Tan                                                                     
                                                     + 44 (0) 7957 203 685     
                                                                               
Barbara Jansen          Citigate First Financial     Tel : + 31 (0) 205 754 010