German major BASF has officially opened an innovation center in China, expanding the scope of its R&D capabilities in Asia-Pacific. The Innovation Campus Asia-Pacific (Shanghai) in Pudong, which was inaugurated earlier this month, is BASF’s largest R&D center in the region. It is focused primarily on advanced materials and systems and adds capabilities including formulations and chemical processes and engineering.

The facility, which cost €90 million, also includes production and marketing functions and serves, said BASF, as an integrated platform to create innovations and applications together with customers. “The new facilities will enable BASF to better serve growth industries such as automotive, construction, health and nutrition, and home and personal care in the region,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, member of BASF’s board of executive directors and responsible for Asia-Pacific. He added that a design center would also be established to combine competencies in design-related materials and services.

Additionally, the headquarters of BASF’s Advanced Materials & Systems Research will be established at the Shanghai campus as of Jan. 1 2016. Its president, Harald Lauke, will assume responsibility as BASF’s regional research representative for the Asia-Pacific region.

The company is also spending around €50 million to build a new innovation campus in Navi Mumbai, India, which is planned to go into operation in 2017. This facility will accommodate around 300 scientists researching areas such as crop protection, process development and polymer research.