Novozymes Builds in India
Novozymes’ business in Asia has grown significantly in recent years – with detergent, textile and beverage alcohol being the largest industries – and the growth in the Asian market for enzymes and micro-organisms is expected to continue in upcoming years.
05/03/07 Novozymes has decided to build new laboratory and office facilities in Bangalore. Thereby, Novozymes establishes R&D operations in India for the first time. The new buildings are expected to be completed mid-2008 and will provide office and laboratory space for 50-60 employees in total.
Novozymes already has sales offices in Bangalore, but the facilities are becoming too small. Novozymes’ business in Asia has grown significantly in recent years – with detergent, textile and beverage alcohol being the largest industries – and the growth in the Asian market for enzymes and micro-organisms is expected to continue in upcoming years.
Furthermore, Novozymes wish to establish a research & development (R&D) department in India. The new R&D unit in India will initially focus on optimizing enzyme properties. According to Torben Vedel Borchert, Director of Protein Optimization in Novozymes and responsible for the new department, the reasons for establishing R&D in India include the workforce and the academic environment.
“We are really looking forward to seeing a new R&D organisation grow in India”, comments Torben Vedel Borchert. “There are a large number of skilled scientists speaking perfect English. In the long term we also envisage the new unit as a natural bridge to Indian academic institutions and local biotech-companies specialised in protein optimization and bioinformatics.”
Bangalore is often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of India”, but is also known as a regional biotechnological growth centre. The city hosts a number of reputable academic institutions and universities.
