Chemours breaks ground on $150 million Discovery Hub on UD STAR Campus

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Rendering of a new Chemours R&D center on the University of Delaware STAR Campus, Newark. Photo courtesy of Chemours
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The Chemours Company formally broke ground on the previously announced $150 million research site on the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus in Newark.

The site will be known as the  Chemours Discovery Hub.

In partnership with the University of Delaware, The Chemours Discovery Hub will conduct research focused on new process, product, and application development.

Construction on the new 312,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed by early 2020.

Site preparation is already underway at the center that will be located between the current STAR Campus complex and the Bloom Energy fuel cell site.

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A who’s who of officials, including Gov. John Carney and predecessor Jack Markell, as well as the Congressional Delegation were on hand for the event.

 “This is much more than a brick-and-mortar story; it’s about the discoveries to come that just might change or at least shape the future,” said Chemours CEO Mark Vergnano. “The Chemours Discovery Hub will serve as a gathering place—a center for activity where vision, ambition, intelligence, and creative energy will flourish—not just for years, but  for decades to come.”

The company, which was spun off from DuPont in 2015 currently does research at about a dozen sites in the area. UD and Chemours are already working together on research, Chemours officials noted.

“Today’s groundbreaking goes far beyond a new building for Chemours,” said UD President Dennis Assanis. “As partners in innovation and economic development, Chemours and UD will build dynamic connections across business, education, research, learning, and discovery. We are breaking ground on a new era of opportunity at the STAR Campus for the University of Delaware, our state and our shared future.”

With the Chemours announcement, the STAR Campus has seen upwards of a half a billion in investments, ranging from a new train station to two research high-rises. 

Delaware Governor John Carney added: “Chemours’ investment in this state-of-the-art facility also will continue a long tradition of important scientific discovery in Delaware, and keep good, high-paying jobs right here in our state.”

The Chemours Company is a global leader in titanium technologies, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions, providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries.  Chemours ingredients are found in plastics and coatings, refrigeration and air conditioning, mining and general industrial manufacturing.

Chemours has approximately 7,000 employees and 26 manufacturing sites serving approximately 4,000 customers in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington and has about 1,000 employees in Delaware.

 
 
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