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Heineken has announced a €45 million investment to build a new global R&D facility in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands.

Named Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, the 8,800-square-metre centre will focus on developing new products and improving existing ones. In addition, the company will employ staff from 12 countries to work on innovations for brands like Heineken, Desperados and Amstel.

The facility will feature offices, laboratories, a model service centre and departments for sensory research and packaging development. It said to be a key part of Heineken's global R&D network, which includes hubs in Mexico, South Africa and Southeast Asia.

The centre is named after Dr. Henry Pierre Heineken (1886–1971), a chemist who implemented key quality improvements and innovations at Heineken.

Heinken's CEO, Dolf van den Brink, added: "Since Heineken's founding, innovation and technology have been the foundation of our success, ranging from our A-yeast, which has been providing the unique taste of Heineken since the 19th century, to the alcohol-free beer revolution led by Heineken 0.0".

"As the beating heart within our global R&D network, this centre opens new possibilities to optimise flavours and processes and to bring innovative products to market. This is a crucial milestone in realising our Brew a Better World 2030 strategy, through which Heineken raises the bar and enables faster progress towards a net zero and a fairer, healthier world. By choosing Zoeterwoude as location for the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, Heineken underscores its commitment to the Netherlands and contributes to maintaining the Netherlands as a leader in food technology."

Strategically located next to Europe’s largest brewery and near Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the R&D centre in Zoeterwoude is well-positioned to foster both local and global innovation. The site is also the setting for Heineken's sustainability initiatives, including the installation of the industry’s first large-scale e-boiler.

Heineken's collaboration with TU Delft will be further strengthened with the new centre, providing Master’s and PhD students with opportunities to engage in pioneering biotechnology projects.

Jack Pronk, professor and head of the biotechnology department at TU Delft, said: "The new Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre provides unique possibilities for further intensifying our collaboration with Heineken on biotechnology-based innovations in brewing. Biotechnology has an immense potential to address global challenges and to make our future society more sustainable. Our staff and students are eager to contribute to this mission through cutting-edge fermentation research at the interface of academia and industry."

The centre is scheduled open in mid-2025.

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