BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical companies with 110,000 employees and 385 production sites worldwide, has announced a $33m investment to expand its facilities in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina in the US.
Nearly 80,000 square feet of office, laboratory and greenhouse facilities will support the company’s plant biotechnology and insect control research. This is the first in a series of investments that the BASF Agricultural Solutions department will make in 2012 to strengthen its global R&D platforms in line with BASF’s new “We create chemistry” strategy.
“This expansion demonstrates the company’s strategic commitment to agricultural solutions and strengthening R&D in all of our markets,” BASF Crop Protection North America Senior Vice President Nevin McDougall said.
BASF expects to break ground on the project in March, and construction is expected to be completed by mid-2013. The planned expansion includes a climate-controlled greenhouse and laboratories for plant biotechnology research, a custom environmentally-controlled insect production facility and office space.
A significant share of insecticide research is already conducted in Research Triangle Park. The larger, modernized facilities will ensure comprehensive and faster evaluation of the company’s promising insecticide candidates, thus expanding its development capabilities
