US chemical giant Dow has announced the “topping out” of its new innovation centre in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to become operational in the second half of 2018.
Dow chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris reported good progress in the construction of the Dow Middle East Innovation Centre at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.
Liveris said: “When the new Dow Innovation Centre opens in 2018, state of the art technologies such as reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, energy efficient systems and infrastructure, and roofing systems will be developed by leading Dow researchers right here in the kingdom and help to solve some of the world’s biggest global challenges.”
With a floor space of 13,500 sq m, the new centre will be the second largest building in KAUST when completed.
Dow currently has an R&D Centre at the KAUST Innovation Cluster, focusing on themes such as water, energy efficiency, and reducing environmental footprints that address critical needs in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East region.
Dow is a founding member of the KAUST Industrial Collaboration Program which aims to commercialise research into practical applications.
In 2015, Dow had annual sales of nearly $49 billion and employed approximately 49,000 people worldwide.
