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BASF to expand Shanghai R&D centre

BASF is set to expand its Innovation Campus Asia Pacific centre in Shanghai, China, with an investment of €90m.

The expansion involves the addition of an R&D building and auxiliary facilities, which will allow BASF to focus primarily on advanced materials and systems, as well as add new areas, such as formulations and chemical process and engineering.

Claimed to be BASF's most important R&D centre in the region, the Innovation Campus will become one of the company's largest R&D sites outside Germany.

BASF research executive director and member of board of executive directors Andreas Kreimeyer said: "By 2020, around 25% of BASF's R&D employees will be located in Asia Pacific.

"The expansion reinforces BASF's commitment to globalising its R&D activities and capturing growth opportunities in China and Asia Pacific."

BASF board of executive directors vice-chairman Martin Brudermüller said: "The Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Shanghai has proven to be an effective platform that not only responds quickly to market needs in China and Asia Pacific, but also connects BASF with the science community in Asia Pacific."

In Asia, BASF operates R&D centres in Shanghai, Japan, Singapore and Korea. The company plans to set up an innovation campus in India in the future.

In 2013, the company has increased global R&D spending to €1.8bn from €1.7bn in 2012. Approximately 10,650 BASF scientists and researchers work on 3,000 research projects.