AkzoNobel has opened a new research laboratory in Deventer, the Netherlands, which the company says will play a pivotal role in its ambition to drive future growth through pioneering innovation.
Housing more than 200 top researchers from the company's Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) organization, the facility is one of a network of six global RD&I centers that work with the company's businesses to undertake the breakthrough research which leads to major innovations.
The six global RD&I Centers host a combination of business-led R&D groups and several of the company's Expert Capability Groups, who work in partnership with AkzoNobel's businesses. Their role is critical in delivering the company's ambition of increasing the contribution made by bigger and bolder innovations from about 9% to between 15 and 20% of revenue by 2015, and ensuring that at least 30% of sales will be derived from eco-premium solutions. In 2010, the company spent close to 20% of its global R&D budget in the Netherlands.
