Chemours Discovery Hub, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.

Chemical giant Chemours has begun construction on a $150 million research facility to be located at the University of Delaware’s Science Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus in Newark, Del.

The 312,000 sf, four-story Discovery Hub will consolidate laboratories and offices for approximately 330 scientists, engineers and researchers, and connect the industry leader with one of the foremost bio-engineering schools in the country. Built for collaboration and innovation by IMC Construction, the four-story Hub will include more than 100 labs, 50 specialty rooms, cafes, conference rooms and twenty “huddle” rooms for small group meetings.

The project will bring together scientists who are currently spread out among a number of sites, including Chemours’ New Castle, Del. facility, and consolidate their research in one location. The Hub joins buildings for technology and energy companies, the health sciences and a biopharmaceutical structure also under construction on the STAR Campus. It will be the headquarters for the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIMBLE), a University of Delaware partnership dedicated to discovering and manufacturing biopharmaceuticals that treat cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Chemours was founded in 2015 when DuPont spun-off its performance chemicals division of titanium technologies, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions.