INDIA – Leading industrial solutions group BASF has opened its largest R&D campus in the South-East Asia region in India to serve its customers in the region, including the food and nutrition industry.
Located in Mumbai, India, the 20,000 square-meter BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific global and regional R&D centre will employ up to 300 scientists and serve one of the most critical markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
“A growing need for energy, food and clean water, limited resources, and a rising world population pose huge challenges. Innovations based on chemistry will enable new solutions,” said Dr. Martin Brudermueller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE and Chief Technology Officer.
The project will involve a total expected investment of up to €50 million (US$53 million) from the German technology giant and marks the Group’s largest research and development (R&D) investment in South Asia, according to the company.
The new innovation campus will expand the company’s existing R&D activities in India to include global and regional research on a wide range of specialty chemicals.
Topics will cover personal and home care, process development, organic synthesis, crop protection and many more.
“BASF is expanding its research and development network, especially to emerging markets in Asia, as we want to drive innovation addressing customer and market needs at an early stage.
Mumbai will be another powerful regional innovation hub for BASF, with proximity to the dynamically growing Indian market,” added Brudermueller.
The Innovation Campus significantly expands the company’s research capacities in India, which were established in 2005 and expanded in 2014 to cover agricultural research, organic synthesis, molecular modelling and advanced process research.
The new Innovation Campus includes state-of-the-art laboratories for chemical synthesis, application and process development, as well as analytics, bringing all new and existing research and development activities by BASF in Mumbai under one roof.
“We see the demand for innovative solutions in many industries in India, including automotive as well as food and nutrition.
Moreover, India is now home to a wide range of high caliber scientists and excellent domestic research capabilities,” said Mr. Sanjeev Gandhi, Member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE, responsible for Asia Pacific.
BASF has expanded its presence in India during the past several years, with approximately €300 million (US$320 million) investment over the past four years in manufacturing and R&D.
The centre, with innovative design and amenities, is designed to meet the silver standards of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the world’s most widely used third-party verification for green buildings.
BASF has over 2,356 employees at 10 production sites and 10 offices in India, as well as two R&D centers, located in Mumbai and Mangalore.
