Mitsubishi Forms New Research Center

Mitsubishi Chemical has formed a new research institute that will advise the company on future areas of technology development. Initially staffed with 10 people, the institute will have its headquarters in Tokyo. Its president is Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, a Mitsubishi board member. Its executive director is Glenn H. Fredrickson, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The institute's focus will be on environmental technologies, water, food, and health. Last year, Mitsubishi closed the Mitsubishi Kagaku Institute of Life Sciences, which employed 171 people in Tokyo.