AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - AkzoNobel has opened a new research laboratory in Deventer, the Netherlands, which will play a pivotal role in the company's 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. These centers work with the company's businesses to undertake the breakthrough research that 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 nine percent to between 15 and 20 percent of revenue by 2015, and ensuring that at least 30 percent of sales will be derived from eco-premium solutions. In 2010, the company spent close to 20 percent of its global R&D budget in the Netherlands.