BASEL, Switzerland - Ciba Specialty Chemicals marked the opening of its R&D Center in Shanghai, China, on April 28 with an inauguration ceremony that included a senior management delegation from Ciba Specialty Chemicals; government officials from Shanghai; the Swiss ambassador to China, Dante Martinelli; and 200 VIP guests. The center represents an investment of around U.S. $20 million by Ciba Specialty Chemicals.

It is foreseen that 100 scientists will work at the new R&D Center that is located in Cao He Jing Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai and covers an area of approximately 6,000 square meters. The center's mission is to combine expertise in organic synthesis, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, photochemistry and analytical chemistry with application and formulation sciences to create new products and solutions for its customer industries, in particular in Asia but also globally.