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SHANGHAI, CHINA, Nov. 4, 2003 – DuPont today announced it will construct a $15 million corporate research and development (R&D) facility near Shanghai to support growth in the Asia Pacific region.
Globally, DuPont has more than 75 R&D facilities with over 40 in the United States and more than 35 in 11 other nations. The Shanghai research and development (R&D) center will be the third major research facility for DuPont outside the United States; others are in Switzerland and Japan.
The Shanghai center will accommodate up to 200 scientists and will include laboratories, offices and high-ceiling process bays for product applications and developments.
DuPont, Chinese, and Shanghai officials today joined more than 100 guests at the groundbreaking event in Zhangjiang High-Tech Park located in the Pudong New District near Shanghai. The facility is expected to open in early 2005.
"The Asia Pacific region, especially China, provides unique growth opportunities for DuPont," said Chief Science and Technology Officer Thomas M. Connelly. "The new research and development center has been specifically designed to meet the increasing demand of emerging DuPont technologies and products in the region. The Shanghai center will serve as a haven for developing new technology solutions through application development, knowledge transfer, technical collaboration and new products development – all contributing to DuPont's growth in China and across the Asia Pacific region."
The facility also will be the focal point for developing collaborative relationships with leading universities and scientific academies in China and throughout the Asia Pacific region. For example in the United States, DuPont and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have formed a unique collaborative effort – called the DuPont-MIT Alliance – that advances research and education in materials and biotechnology that have a variety of applications.
DuPont invests $1.2 billion a year on global research and development in a diverse range of technologies for a broad scope of markets, ranging from electronics to agriculture. Today, DuPont has more than 5,100 scientists and engineers around the world.
DuPont started its business in China in the mid-1980s. The registration of DuPont China Holding Company Limited in Shenzhen in 1989, the first wholly owned entity of the company, marked the beginning of its ongoing business investment in the country. Today, DuPont China has 23 wholly owned and joint ventured manufacturing facilities, and three branches in the country. Its products and services cover diversified markets in the agricultural, food and nutrition, electronics, chemicals, textiles, and automotive industries. DuPont has invested more than $700 million in China with more than 3,000 people.
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.