Unilever today announced that it will invest a further €35 million in its research and development capabilities in India, transforming its R&D hubs in Mumbai and Bengaluru into a next-generation research and innovation ecosystem, and establishing a strategic ‘Bio-Futures’ partnership in India.
The additional investment will build on an investment of more than €20 million over the past five years in state-of-the-art capabilities including the Liquids Lab of the Future, the Unilever Fragrance House, the Advanced Manufacturing Center for Bars, the Packaging and Flexibles Design Lab, and AI & Digital modelling platforms.
Both the India R&D hubs operate as an integral part of Unilever’s global R&D network and encompass a range of new science and technology research, innovation, product development and market-facing activities. This includes consumer understanding, product adaptation, testing, validation, scale-up and deployment with different activities undertaken across the India R&D ecosystem. Both hubs leverage Unilever’s global science, technology platforms, scientific know-how and intellectual property in accordance with the respective activities undertaken across the India R&D ecosystem. India, is one of Unilever's largest global R&D hubs, bringing together 800+ scientists, researchers, digital specialists and designers.
The proposed transformation envisions the Mumbai hub as a new “Product Innovation Centre”. It will bring together AI and Digital powered foresight and insights, new measurement approaches, product & format science, product and packaging design, rapid prototyping, scale-up capabilities and market facing deployment within a single integrated environment. This New Product Innovation Center will also bring in collaborative spaces catalyzing new-age partnerships with Academia, Experts, Suppliers, Start-ups and larger design ecosystems.
The Bengaluru Center will continue to evolve as a Global Science, Technology and Partnership Hub, hosting foundational and application science platforms, digital and AI capabilities, India Foods R&D, and collaborations with Academia, Start-ups and Unilever's global innovation network.
Across both sites, AI, automated and co-bot powered experimentation, predictive modelling and digital twins will enable scientists and product developers to explore more possibilities, learn faster, and translate promising ideas into scalable innovations with greater speed and precision.
Unilever will also invest €5 million over five years in a strategic Bio-Futures partnership in India, creating a platform that connects Unilever’s global R&D capabilities with India’s rapidly growing Bioscience ecosystem. The partnership will bring together leading scientific institutions, start-ups, advanced infrastructure and talent to accelerate innovation across human biology, microbiome science, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and digital and AI-enabled biology.
Richard Slater, Chief Research and Development Officer, Unilever, said, “India is a critical global R&D center for Unilever. This investment will enable a more connected way of innovating, bringing together science, insights, design, digital technology, AI, rapid prototyping and scale-up capabilities. By connecting Unilever with India’s world-class bioscience ecosystem, we can harness complementary science, capabilities and partnerships to accelerate the next generation of Bio-Futures innovation for India and the world.”
Priya Nair, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, said, “India’s emergence as a global innovation powerhouse presents an extraordinary opportunity. As one of the world’s fastest-growing large economies, we see significant potential to bring world-class, science-led innovation to Indian consumers. This investment reinforces Unilever R&D’s long-standing commitment to India and its confidence in the country’s scientific talent, capabilities, innovation ecosystem and India’s emerging position in bio sciences and bio manufacturing.”