BASF in Greater China 2024
Innovation
Innovation is the bedrock of BASF’s success as a leading chemical company and is the key driver for its profitable growth.
China is now the largest chemical market in the world, and there is a growing demand for more sustainable products and solutions.
We focus on developing sustainable solutions for our customers by helping them to reduce their products’ carbon footprint, to use resources more efficiently or to manufacture products in a more eco-friendly way. This is how we safeguard our competitiveness in the long term and make our contribution to the society.
Growing R&D capabilities in China
- Total investment in Innovation Campus Shanghai is around €280 million
- Growing R&D capabilities will further accelerate innovations for BASF’s customers in China and across Asia
BASF has been continuously expanding its research and development footprint in China to drive innovation by integrating customer and market needs at an early stage.
The Innovation Campus allows BASF to bring together all the stakeholders in the innovation chain, including research and development (R&D), business, and production units in an integrated site. Innovation Campus is an integral part of BASF’s global Know-How Verbund and runs global, regional, and local R&D projects.
The Innovation Campus Shanghai, located at the BASF Shanghai Pudong Innovation Park, was inaugurated in 2012, and expanded in 2015, 2019 and 2023. Combining the technical development capabilities of the operating divisions with industrial design expertise, the Innovation Campus Shanghai serves the demand of almost all major industries. The total investment in Innovation Campus Shanghai is around €280 million.
In 2024, BASF opened its brand-new microbiological lab at the Innovation Campus Shanghai. This new facility marks a new step forward for its research capabilities in Asia. The new lab empowers BASF to conduct comprehensive microbiological testing. Researchers can precisely monitor the microbial content and predict the microbial contamination risk of their products.
The BASF Branch of the Pudong District Postdoctoral Programme has been upgraded to national-level upon approval of China’s National Human Resources and Social Security Department and National Postdoctoral Management Committee in 2024. This is a significant breakthrough for BASF in developing scientific research platforms and the cultivation of high-level Research and Development talents, which will further enhance the company’s competitive advantages in attracting top talents and obtaining supports on R&D from the authority.
BASF is strengthening its R&D footprint across China. In February, BASF inaugurated its Verbund Technology Center at the Zhanjiang Verbund site. The Center dedicates itself to the research and development of Verbund process optimization, digitalization, and sustainable development. In August, BASF inaugurated its new Application and Technical Center of Coatings division in Jiangmen, China. Located within the site of BASF Coatings (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., the center marks another major milestone in the continuous expansion of BASF Coatings’ global refinish technology network.
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Driving open innovation with academia and industry
- The Network for Asian Open Research (NAO) promotes collaboration between BASF and researchers in Asia
- 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of NAO
- BASF’s commitment to open innovation has been acknowledged by stakeholders, including academic
institutions, industry experts, and local authorities
BASF places great value on open innovation through close collaboration with academic and industry partners around the world.
It maintains a global network of around 260 partners from universities, institutes, and companies, forming a key pillar of BASF’s global Know-How Verbund.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the Network for Asian Open Research (NAO) serves as a joint
platform with BASF working alongside leading universities and institutes, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Zhejiang University, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of NAO. The projects driven by NAO encompass a wide range of research areas, including material recycling and upcycling, renewable raw materials, digitalization, sustainable processes and e-mobility.
In 2024, BASF was honored as one of the “Blue Whale 50 – Top 50 Global Large Enterprises in Open Innovation” by the Technology Innovation Research Centre of Tsinghua University (TIRC) and Plug and Play China, recognizing its commitment to scientific and technological innovation. Additionally, the Shanghai Pudong New District acknowledged the successful establishment of BASF’s Open Innovation Center, which became part of the Group Open Innovation (GOI) program in 2022.This partnership aims to foster collaborations with small and medium-sized technology enterprises and drive the effective transformation of scientific research outcomes, enhancing BASF's innovation efficiency and contributing to the overall innovation ecosystem.
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