Fueling our growth with pioneering science

At dsm-firmenich, we believe in the power of science to make a positive impact — both for people and our planet. That’s why science is at the heart of everything we do, helping us to innovate and bring progress to life across health, nutrition, and beauty.

Each year, we invest over €700m in R&D. Our company is home to over 2,000 scientists, spread across 15 research hubs, 40 creation centers, and 78 application labs. Thanks to our merger in 2023, these scientists have access to unparalleled scientific capabilities.

We have a set of four mature technologies that serve as the foundations upon which our businesses are built:

·        Chemical and process sciences

·        Nutritional sciences

·        Formulation and materials science

·        Analytical sciences

On top of these, we also have four fast-evolving science capabilities that are unlocking enormous new potential:

·        Biotechnology

·        Microbiome

·        Receptor biology and sensory sciences

·        Data science and AI

Our scientists are carrying out pioneering work in each of these areas. However, it’s the synergies between them that really make our company special. By using these capabilities together, we can innovate in truly unique ways, setting us apart as a category of one. This approach made it possible for us to publish over 200 patents in our first year as dsm-firmenich.

With such powerful tools available to them, it’s vital that our scientists ensure innovation is carefully targeted, so that it can have the greatest possible impact. That’s why our scientists work closely with our business units, customers, and consumers; this helps us guarantee we are making a real difference, whether we’re working on making products healthier, more sustainable, or simply more delightful.

As scientific leaders, we must constantly challenge ourselves: we know it is vital to ensure that our science remains at the cutting edge and that we are investing in the most promising emerging technologies. That’s why we have founded our Scientific Advisory Board. This special team of world-leading experts challenges and reviews our scientific work. They help us to shape our vision for a healthier, sustainable, and more delightful future, with our innovations continuing to push back the boundaries of what is possible. They also help us to scan the horizon, providing advice on upcoming trends and sharing insights into new, disruptive technologies. The fresh and unfiltered perspectives provided by the members of this team help us to stay on our toes and maintain our position at the pinnacle of innovation, with cutting-edge science driving positive impact on billions of lives.

As we celebrate World Science Day 2024 on November 10, it’s the perfect time to meet the members of our new Scientific Advisory Board…

Professor Patrick Aebischer (chairman) is former president of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, one of the world’s leading universities, and vice-chairman of GESDA, the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator.

Professor Regina Barzilay is an award-winning expert in AI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US, where she focuses on machine-learning models for molecular modeling and clinical AI. She is a member of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Chaitan Khosla is an award-winning chemist at Stanford University, US, and is a member of both the US National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Thomas Hankemeier is a world-leading researcher in analytical biosciences at Leiden University in the Netherlands and co-founder of MIMETAS, the worldwide first organ-on-a-chip company. 

Professor Jeroen Raes leads a laboratory at KU Leuven in Belgium and is Vice-Director of the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) center for Microbiology. He is at the forefront of research into the human microbiome.

Professor Christopher Voigt is Head of the Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US, where he carries out research in synthetic biology. He is also a company founder and venture capitalist.

In addition, the Scientific Advisory Board is complemented by two members of the dsm-firmenich supervisory board of directors: Richard Ridinger, former CEO of Lonza Group AG, and Dr. Antoine Firmenich, CEO and managing director of Aquilus Pte Ltd. Dr. Sarah Reisinger, dsm-firmenich’s chief science and research officer, also sits on the board, as does Professor Roel Bovenberg, distinguished science fellow at dsm-firmenich, who serves as the board’s secretary.