DuPont said it will open it first non-U.S. biotechnology research center in Hyderabad, India, in 2008.
The $20 million Knowledge Center is part of the company’s $100 million reinvestment plan and will focus on crop genetics to aid in the production of advanced seed products.
DuPont currently has 20 crop genetics scientists working at a temporary facility near the planned site. The company expects the number of crop genetics scientists to grow to approximately 100 by year end.
The center is expected to house research programs for the company's Chemical Solutions Enterprise; Surfaces; Titanium Technologies; and Performance Coatings businesses, among others.
The company currently has plant biotech research centers in Delaware, Iowa and Calif.Separately, DuPont said it opened a technical center near Moscow to support Russian manufacturers who use the company's titanium dioxide products.
DuPont Titanium Technologies is the world's largest manufacturer of titanium dioxide, serving customers globally in the coatings, paper and plastics industries. DuPont previosuly announced plans to build a TiO2 plant at Dongying, China. Total investment for the project is estimated at $1 billion, and when completed it will be DuPont's largest single investment outside the United States.