Borealis will expand innovation center

The European polymers manufacturer Borealis will spend $32 million to $38 million over five years to expand its plastics innovation center in Linz, Austria. In a first round of investment, $10 million will go to build a new polyolefin research center and related olefin research lab by 2008. Borealis says the project is part of a larger agreement with the government of Upper Austria. The government is slated to spend more than $20 million to "internationalize" Johannes Kepler University in an effort to expand research in the region. Borealis, meanwhile, says it will boost its cooperation with Kepler and other Austrian universities and research institutes.