Chemours is the latest to make a commitment to the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus.
The Wilmington based chemical company announced Monday it’s struck an agreement with UD to build a state-of-the-art research and innovation facility on the university’s STAR Campus.
Chemours plans to spend about $150 million dollars on the 312,000-square-foot facility, saying that when its completed the company hopes it will “establish a world-class innovation partnership and talent development pipeline” between Chemours and UD.
"Chemours wants to be the best in the world at using chemistry to develop products and applications that serve our customers' needs," said Chemours President and CEO Mark Vergnano in a statement, "and having a state-of-the-art innovation center and a long-term research partnership with the University of Delaware puts us in a stronger position to do just that."
"The University of Delaware is excited to welcome Chemours to the STAR Campus, where we are creating a bold future of innovation for our state and region," said UD President Dennis Assanis in a statement. "Not only will the University's students and faculty benefit from this vibrant new research partnership, but, together, we will be making our entire economy stronger and more resilient for years to come."
The company adds that the new building will also keep 330 researcher and technician jobs in the Wilmington metro area.
The facility is expected to be ready by early 2020.
The news comes just a week after UD broke ground on its new 200,000 square foot, six-story biopharmaceutical innovation building that will be home to the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals or NIMBLE.
That building is slated to cost $156 million and open in January 2020. It’s expected to allow students and faculty to create and manufacture new medicines and bring them to market more quickly.
