NEW YORK – Unilever said it is investing $270 million in a global innovation center based in New Haven, Conn., to be open by spring 2029.

The company said this will be a major hub for Unilever’s research and development for its personal care, beauty and well-being businesses.

“New Haven gets us to the future faster,” said Herrish Patel, president of Unilever USA and chief executive officer of personal care North America, in a statement released Thursday. “Our global innovation center is where we’ll innovate at the intersection of science, technology and culture — for the U.S. and for the world.

“We will build on our deep heritage of innovation to develop the next generation of brands and products that people love,” he continued. “As part of Unilever’s global network of innovation hubs, the center will connect closely with our other leading locations worldwide, sharing technology, insights and breakthrough ideas to accelerate innovation at scale. As the U.S. becomes a center of gravity for Unilever, we’re harnessing the best of American innovation to match our growth ambition here in the U.S. and around the world.”

The new Unilever global innovation center will be digital-first and AI-powered.

“The center brings together a new and differentiated combination of assets and capabilities that will accelerate breakthroughs and enable Unilever’s brands to bring the next generation of market-making beauty, well-being and personal care products to people faster,” Unilever said in a statement.

These include: new technologies fueled by AI and emerging quantum capabilities to drive scale and speed-to-market; end-to-end integration of the R&D process to push boundaries of desirable products, and its location in New Haven, billed to be among the world’s fastest-growing biosciences innovation clusters.

“The center advances Unilever’s strategy to become a sharper, focused personal care, beauty and well-being company, built upon shared capabilities across science-led innovation, demand creation and operational execution,” the company said.

The $270 million Unilever will invest includes $50 million in capital expenditure.

“Total combined investment of public and private funds in the center will exceed $300 million,” Unilever said. “This investment builds on nearly $15 billion invested in Unilever’s U.S. business over the past decade, across both acquisitions and capital projects.”

The new center is to employ 300 people and succeeds the group’s existing R&D center in Trumbull, Conn., which Unilever has operated since 1972.

The new building will include a global center for skin care and cleansing, a polycultural skin and hair care center of excellence, a human performance lab, a Unilever fragrance house and a packaging innovation studio.

“Behind every Unilever product is world-leading science that delivers superior performance, combined with design, fragrance and sensory experiences that make our brands distinctive,” said Richard Slater, Unilever chief research and development officer. “Our new global innovation center will bring these capabilities together to develop new, category-defining innovations in the U.S., and scale globally. The real shift here is integration and speed: science, design and sensorials working as one, with AI and partnerships accelerating every stage of innovation.”

“Unilever’s decision to make this investment in New Haven reaffirms Connecticut’s global reputation as a leader in innovation, research and development, and discovery,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. “This innovation center will serve as an important foundational piece for this burgeoning hub that will not only strengthen New Haven’s existing tech centers but will also boost our innovation ecosystem statewide. I am glad we have Unilever as a valued member of Connecticut’s growing business community, and I look forward to this company continuing to succeed here for many years to come.”