SITTARD, NETHERLANDS (Nov. 26, 10:50 a.m. ET) — Materials group DSM NV has broken ground on a new materials sciences research center in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands, which is due to open in 2014.

The facility is part of DSM’s decision to make a huge investment in R&D. The firm is investing about 100 million euros ($130 million) in three new centers; in Sittard-Geleen and Delft, which is also in the Netherlands.

Speaking at a ceremony to break ground on the center, President Roelof Westerbeek said the company was making “a significant contribution to further building the knowledge pool in important areas of research and development”.

“We have recently expanded our expertise in other regions, such as the United States and Asia, where a Materials Science Center and automotive development lab was opened in 2011, in Shanghai, China,” he said. “At the same time we continue to invest in core competences in Sittard-Geleen, which we will exploit globally for our customers and our business.”