Unilever to Boost India Research and Development with €35 Million Investment

Unilever, a multinational conglomerate specialising in FMCG, will increase its investment in R&D in India by €35 million. With the recent investment, its two R&D hubs in Bengaluru and Mumbai would be upgraded to state-of-the-art research and innovation centres.

In addition, the business announced on November 4 that it will be forming a strategic relationship with Bio-Futures in the nation. Along with this investment, the company has spent over €20 million in the last five years on its Liquids Lab of the Future, Unilever Fragrance House, Advanced Manufacturing Center for Bars, Packaging and Flexibles Design Lab, and digital modelling and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms.

Unilever Beefing up its R&D Facilities in India

According to Unilever, both of its research and development centres in India are vital nodes in the company's R&D network worldwide. In addition, these divisions cover a wide spectrum of cutting-edge scientific and technological inquiry, invention, product creation, and outreach to consumers. The various processes carried out inside the India R&D ecosystem encompass comprehending the user, adapting the product, testing, validating, scaling up, and deploying it. Both centres also make use of the intellectual property, scientific knowledge, and worldwide research and technology platforms owned by Unilever.

More than 800 researchers, digital experts, scientists, and designers make India one of Unilever's biggest worldwide R&D centres. A new Product Innovation Centre would be established out of the Mumbai hub as a result of the planned renovation. As a whole, it will unite the following: digital and AI-powered insights and predictions; new methods of measurement; product and format science; design of products and packaging; quick prototyping; capacity to scale up; and deployment to the market. Additionally, the centre will make arrangements to facilitate collaborations with the design ecosystem as a whole, including universities, industries, suppliers, and new businesses. According to Unilever's chief research and development officer Richard Slater, India is an essential worldwide R&D hub for the business.

Unilever Also Focuses on Bio-Futures partnership

A five-year, €5 million investment by Unilever is part of a strategic alliance with Bio-Futures in India. Connecting India's burgeoning bioscience ecosystem with Unilever's worldwide R&D resources is the platform's stated goal. Therefore, uniting academic institutions, new businesses, cutting-edge facilities, and skilled workers. Human biology, microbiome research, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and digital and AI-enabled biology are some of the areas that will be the centre of attention in this alliance. As a global scientific, technological, and relationship hub, the Bengaluru centre will continue to flourish. It will house foundational and application science platforms, digital and AI capabilities, research and development for India's food products, and partnerships with universities, startups, and Unilever's innovation network.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd's managing director and chief executive officer Priya Nair recently stated that the country's rise to prominence as a centre of innovation offered great potential for Hindustan Unilever. According to Nair, there is a tremendous potential brought about by India's rise to prominence as a global innovation hub. India is one of the world's most rapidly developing major economies, and Unilever believes the country has enormous untapped potential to introduce its people to cutting-edge, science-based innovations. This investment further solidifies Unilever R&D's enduring dedication to India. According to Nair, this move shows that Unilever has faith in India's scientific community, innovation environment, and the country's potential to become a global leader in biotechnology.