MUTTENZ, Switzerland – Specialty chemicals company Clariant has opened a new €100 million Clariant Innovation Center (CIC) in Frankfurt, Germany. The company’s new global hub for research and development (R&D) is based at the Industriepark Höchst. It will be the home of Clariant’s competence centers in chemical research and process technology as well as application laboratories for several business units. The center will also house the departments for Intellectual Property Management and New Business Development. As the corporation’s global hub, the CIC will ensure the coordination of Clariant’s worldwide R&D network, which includes centers across Europe, North America, Brazil, Japan, India and China.

Located at Clariant’s largest manufacturing site, the CIC will benefit from the infrastructure and industrial and academic links offered by the Rhein-Main region. The new facility covers a total surface area of 36,000 square meters and will house around 500 employees from R&D and supporting business and administrative functions. The modern, open-plan building features a mix of open workspaces, offices and laboratories to foster the exchange of ideas among employees as well as with visiting partners from industry and academia.