Royal DSM (Heerlen, the Netherlands; www.dsm.com) has opened its new center for research and development of high-performance materials on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands. The completion of DSM’s largest materials center worldwide is part of the €100-million investment in knowledge and innovation in the Netherlands that DSM announced in May 2012. The center employs over 400 knowledge workers and combines important technological skills and expertise unique in the Netherlands for use in applications the world over.
The materials center is an important base for DSM’s Materials Sciences research and marketing activities. Furthermore, it will be the most important research center worldwide for DSM Engineering Plastics. Historically, Sittard-Geleen has been the main center of DSM’s high-performance materials research. In addition, being located on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus offers opportunities for open innovation owing to the proximity of other start-up and established companies as well as research and education institutes.
DSM materials are used inmany applications and products, including connectors in electronics, surgical sutures and medical implants, heat-resistant plastic engine parts for the automotive industry, smart food packaging material, solar panel coatings and super-strong fibers in, for instance, cables.