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Unilever announced plans for a $270 million global innovation center in New Haven, Connecticut, that will serve as the research and development hub for its personal care, beauty, and wellbeing brands.
When fully staffed, the downtown New Haven site at 2 Church St. is projected to support a workforce of approximately 300 people, according to the company. A groundbreaking is anticipated before the end of this year, and the center is slated to be operational by spring 2029. It takes the place of a Trumbull, Connecticut research campus that Unilever has run since 1972, the Hartford Business Journal reported.
The $270 million investment includes $50 million in capital expenditure, which Unilever described as its largest R&D capital spending in the U.S. in 40 years. Combined public and private investment in the center will exceed $300 million, the company said. A footprint of roughly 100,000 square feet spread across two floors has been carved out for Unilever within the new structure, the Hartford Business Journal reported.
Under a single roof, the facility is designed to consolidate disciplines including consumer insights, packaging design, fragrance creation, and product formulation, the company said. Planned facilities include a global center for skin care and cleansing, a polycultural skin and hair care center of excellence, a human performance lab, a fragrance house, and a packaging innovation studio. AI tools and nascent quantum computing technologies are expected to play a role in driving materials research and accelerating other development work at the center, Unilever said.
