Danone Opens Research Center to Accelerate Early Life and Advanced Medical Nutrition

1 Oct 2013 --- Positioned at the cutting edge of science and technology, the new Utrecht research facility will strengthen the Group’s leadership position by bringing a significant part of Danone’s R&D expertise in the highly promising areas of early life nutrition and advanced medical nutrition -- nearly 400 people -- together under one roof.

Teams in the new Utrecht centre will perform innovative research into the many benefits of healthy nutrition in early life, in areas ranging from digestion and gut health to growth, immunity and cognitive development.

In addition, Danone’s researchers aim to pioneer nutritional discoveries that help people live longer, and healthier lives, with advanced nutrition supporting the vulnerable and the sick - in the field of paediatric care and metabolics, as well as the care of adults and the elderly.

The new Nutricia Research centre is located in Utrecht, at the Utrecht Science Park, a top quality campus for life sciences in The Netherlands. A unique location ideal for connections with world-class scientific partners and academic healthcare institutions. The establishment of this facility on the Utrecht Science Park is actively supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and its regional partners.

Jean-Philippe Paré, Danone’s Executive Vice President for Research & Development, noted “This innovative new research Centre offers a unique opportunity to build bridges between science and nutrition -- to meet our consumer needs at critical points in their lives: early life, pregnancy, illness and aging. Every day, our teams innovate to contribute to health and well-being for everyone, at every age, reflecting our mission of “bringing health through food to as many people as possible.”

As nutrition will be more than ever before an essential asset to reinforce healthy living, the new centre highlights the central role of R&D in Danone’s growth strategy.

To achieve this, the Research of Danone strives to:

•    Commit to nutritional quality and safeguard natural resources sustainably.
•    Building bridges between science and nutrition to contribute to people’s health, from the youngest to the oldest.
•    Root foodstyles to better address local nutritional and health needs.
•    Promote our categories as a daily source of health and well-being for all.

Danone Nutricia Research currently has 1,500 employees at two main R&D facilities—Centre Daniel Carasso in Palaiseau (France), specializing in Fresh Dairy Products and Waters; and Nutricia Research in Utrecht (Netherlands), dedicated to Early Life Nutrition and Advanced Medical Nutrition—and four specialized centres: Dumex Research (Shanghai, China), Nutricia Research (Singapore), Danone Research Packaging (Evian, France) and Danone Research Fresh Dairy Technological Expertise (Madrid, Spain). Over 200 partnerships with scientific institutions known worldwide for expertise in their field of study.