DuPont opens Knowledge Centre near Hyderabad

Hyderabad: DuPont, the $29.4-billion Global Science Company, formally launched its new experiment Research and IPR (Intellectual Property Rights), under one roof here.

The DuPont Knowledge Centre (DKC), the sixth research and development facility of the Delaware, US-based, 206 year old company, with an investment of Rs 130 crore, is the locale for this venture.

“We expect to develop sustainable solutions for India and global markets by using integrated science,” to create commercial value at the DKC. The centre is a new model, which the company could replicate in future initiatives, said Dr Homi Bhedwar, its Director.

About 180 scientists have started working on integrated science combining strengths of biology, chemistry, material science and engineering to develop DuPont’s application pipeline in India and emerging markets, he told newspersons.

The DKC, located near the ICICI Knowledge Park, about 40 km from Hyderabad, would house the company’s first Plant Biotech Research Centre outside the US.

Spread over 15 acres of land, the centre has a biotech lab, a materials research lab, an applications development lab, engineering design centre, a ballistic lab and greenhouses, said Mr Balvinder S. Kalsi, President & CEO of DuPont India.

While forging collaborative research with Indian research institutes and universities, the centre plans to increase its strength to 300 by end of 2009, double it in the near future to meet capacity, though expansion to house 1,100 has been made as a long-term proposition, he said.

DuPont’s focus would be on four mega opportunities agriculture and food, automotive, construction material and renewable energy where India offers tremendous scope, Mr Kalsi said.

DuPont has also entered into a new area called DuPont Services. The focus is on information technology, sourcing, finance and accounts and other services.

The DuPont Services Centre would be a separate entity with DuPont India and would be located in Hyderabad. It would do global work on financial and accounts, Mr Kalsi said.