AkzoNobel to create Dutch innovation park

AkzoNobel is going ahead with plans to convert its R&D and hydrogen ­peroxide production site in Deventer, the Netherlands, into an innovation park for developers of high-energy chemistry. The move follows the signing of a seven-year agreement by the government of Deventer and the province of Overijssel (of which Deventer is a part) to invest more than $30 million to transform the site. The complex already has space for a small number of technology firms. By the end of 2025, AkzoNobel plans to be able to accommodate 300 people from technology companies, 50 staffers involved in training and education, and 315 of its own research staff. About 270 of AkzoNobel’s R&D employees currently work at the site, which boasts safety labs, analytical labs, and pilot facilities for scaling up production. AkzoNobel anticipates that knowledge exchange with the site’s future tenants will help it accelerate introduction of its own technologies. Two technology start-ups have already moved to the park.