Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Opens State-of-the-art Research Center for Electronic Applications in Darmstadt

• New building dedicated to Research and Development activities for leading-edge semiconductor and display materials
• Scale up of Research & Development capabilities to further expand company’s position as leading supplier for the electronics industry
• € 50 million investment is part of wider € 1 billion investment to strengthen headquarters

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, officially opened its new Research Center for electronic applications on the campus of its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, today. With an investment of € 50 million the company created an innovative research hub to further advance innovations for the display and semiconductor industries.

“As our prime science and technology hub, our headquarters in Darmstadt offers tremendous expertise and capability for Research & Development work”, said Kai Beckmann, CEO Performance Materials and Executive Board member of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany responsible for the Darmstadt site. “This new Research Center for electronic applications is living proof of our commitment to become an even stronger partner for our customers through top-notch R&D”.

The building will be dedicated to Research & Development activities for next-generation materials, including display materials – such as innovative liquid crystals and quantum dot pixel color converters (QDPCC) – as well as semiconductor materials – such as photoresist materials, dielectrics and directional self-alignment materials (DSA).

After 33 months of construction it is planned that the new 11.000 square meters building will offer office and lab space for 140 employees. With a height of 38,5 meters, the new Research Center is one of the tallest buildings at the company’s Darmstadt site.

The dynamic liquid crystal windows of the eyrise brand from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany were installed in the building facade over an area of 300 square meters. These windows allow the adjustment of incoming sunlight in the building's conference rooms at the push of a button. In a matter of seconds, they protect against heat build-up and blinding sunlight without obstructing access to daylight or outdoor views.

The investment for the new building is part of the comprehensive investment program announced last year, under which the company is investing a total of € 1 billion in its corporate headquarters up to 2025 to create additional growth potential for the Darmstadt site. A new membrane facility for its Life Science business is under construction. Moreover, the company plans to construct a new Vocational and Advanced Training Center at the site.