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BASF opens research center in Singapore

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, opened its first research center for nanotechnology in Asia in April. The new center in Singapore will involve €13 million (SGD 26 million) of research expenditures between now and 2008.

“This is a bold step for BASF – a step geared to helping us realize our ambitious goals in nanotechnology,” says Dr. Stefan Marcinowski, member of BASF’s Board of Executive Directors and Executive Research Director. “The new center will allow us to work more closely with highly respected research institutions in Asia and attract top talent, enabling us to better serve our customers in the region.”

Marcinowski stressed that BASF would play an active role in Singapore’s outstanding research community through this new facility, while sharpening its current focus on the so-called “growth cluster” nanotechnology. “We plan to spend around €180 million (SGD 354 million) in nanotechnology research worldwide between 2006 and 2008,” he added.

Teo Ming Kian, Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board, says: “We are delighted that BASF has selected Singapore to be a key node of their global R&D strategy. This is in line with EDB’s aim to move Singapore from simply being a place to implement technology efficiently, to one where we also create first-of-its-kind technology and know-how. The EDB warmly welcomes the opening of BASF’s Competence Center for Nanostructured Surfaces. It is a shining endorsement of the capabilities, infrastructure and intellectual property protection in Singapore.”

Nanotechnology is the basis for innovation in growth markets like the automotive, construction, household, cosmetics and electronics industries, as well as energy and resource conservation.

Dr. Martin Brudermüller, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF and responsible for Asia Pacific, says, “This center will help us better pick up new emerging technology trends. It allows us to strengthen our ties with innovative, technology-driven customers in Asia and open up new market opportunities. As part of our global research network, this center will also exchange know-how, competencies and innovative solutions with other research centers in our global network, for example, in Europe and the United States.”

BASF’s new center will employ 20 staff, mainly research scientists and laboratory officers with an excellent background in chemistry and physics. BASF already operates 17 development sites in Asia Pacific, but this is the first time the company is undertaking dedicated nanotech research in the region.

The Competence Center for Nanostructured Surfaces in Singapore will concentrate on nanostructured surface modification that could, for example, offer a solution to the problem of biofouling. Biofouling on ship hulls and other marine surfaces is an issue with both environmental and economic relevance. Although no alternatives to the use of biocides are available at present, developments in nanotechnology could offer an innovative and environmentally friendly solution. The objective of the project is to understand the mechanism of buildup of organisms on surfaces in seawater and to develop biocide-free nanostructured coatings that minimize the physical adhesion of marine organisms to surfaces.