BASF begins building chemical R&D hub in India

BASF has broken ground on a new Innovation Campus in Navi Mumbai, India, the company announced today. 

The company will invest approximately €50 million into the project, it says. The facility will accommodate around 300 scientists investigating areas such as crop protection, process development and polymer research.

In 2020, BASF aims to generate €30 billion of sales worldwide with products that have been introduced in the market since 2011. The basis for these innovations is effective and efficient research and development. 

To achieve this goal, BASF is further developing the research organization and bundling its competencies in three global platforms, with the headquarters of advanced materials and systems research based in the Asia-Pacific region. The BASF Innovation Campus (Mumbai) will be a key hub of BASF’s global research and development (R&D) network, and, next to Shanghai, BASF’s second major R&D location in Asia-Pacific.

“The Asia-Pacific region faces enormous challenges that we address with innovation from chemistry," said Martin Brudermüller, vice chairman of BASF's board of executive directors. "BASF operates a strong global R&D network, which we will further strengthen with investments in innovation capacities in Asia Pacific. We will not only serve our customers in all industries in the region but also in other regions with global research projects that will be led out of Mumbai."

The BASF Innovation Campus (Mumbai) will host global research activities and regional and local development activities. Development activities will serve BASF’s performance chemicals, care chemicals, and pigments and dispersions businesses. 

By combining development activities with global research, the campus will foster exchange of know-how and ideas about latest technologies and methods, ensure access to state-of-the-art equipment, and create synergies.

“The BASF Innovation Campus (Mumbai) will bring the best international scientists from India and other parts of the world together into the global BASF R&D Verbund," said Harald Lauke, designated president of advanced materials and systems research. 

The BASF Innovation Campus (Mumbai) will begin operation in 2017 and will include synthesis, application, process, and analytical laboratories. Along with scientific facilities, the 20,000 square meter site includes technical facilities, logistics areas, a full-scale auditorium and canteen, and employee amenities areas.

The new building will include multiple features designed to minimize energy use, including a secondary façade, a reflective roof, water chillers for air conditioning, and photovoltaic panels. Drinking water will be supplied through dispensers using a filter technology, eliminating the need for disposable bottles. 

The building will also maximize use of natural light through a glass-roofed atrium that directs daylight into the building core.

Overall, BASF has 2,254 employees at eight production sites in India and sales offices as well as two R&D centers. In 2013, BASF registered sales of €1.02 billion to customers in India.