Future possibilities

We are proud of our reputation as a world leader in research and development through innovation and renovation.

More about our future possibilities

Building the future

Find out about the R&D story behind our products

Couple hugging trees in a forest

The science of touch

We worked with a team of scientists from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, to discover a special class of nerves in the skin which respond to pleasant touch.

More on the science of touch

Innovation

Our innovation

  • Our investment

    € 928m

    In 2010 Unilever spent €928m on research & development.

  • Our people

    6000 +

    Currently we have over 6000 people working in R&D in all Unilever regions across the globe.

  • Our inventions

    300 +

    We typically file between 250 & 350 new patent applications a year.

  • Our intellectual property

    20 000

    Worldwide we have over 20 000 registered patents & patent applications.

Our R&D experts

Rosemary, Unilever Development Nutrition Manager

Rosemary, Development Nutrition Manager, Durban, South Africa

I am learning every day, especially about partnership management.

Get to know more R&D experts

Our R&D centres

Testing jars in our R&D lab in Cisterna

Unilever R&D, Shanghai

R&D in Shanghai focuses on synthetic chemistry and traditional Chinese medicine.

View other R&D centres

Some of our locations worldwide