Unilever has committed to investing €35 million (US$39.43 million) to upgrade its R&D hubs in Mumbai and Bengaluru, transforming them into a next-generation research and innovation ecosystem. According to Unilever, the company plans to establish AI, automated and co-bot-powered experimentation, predictive modeling, and digital twins across both sites to enable scientists and product developers to explore more possibilities and learn faster. Mumbai will become a Product Innovation Center, while Bengaluru will grow as a global science hub, with the technology designed to translate promising ideas into scalable innovations with greater speed and precision. As per Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) Managing Director and CEO Priya Nair, India's growing position as an innovation hub presents an opportunity to develop science-led products for Indian consumers. The investment reflects Unilever's confidence in the country's scientific talent, innovation ecosystem and emerging capabilities in bioscience and biomanufacturing.
Unilever will invest an additional €5 million (US$5.63 million) over five years in a strategic Bio-Futures partnership in India. The partnership will create a platform that connects Unilever's global R&D capabilities with India's rapidly growing bioscience ecosystem, bringing together leading scientific institutions, start-ups, advanced infrastructure and talent. The collaboration will accelerate innovation across human biology, microbiome science, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and digital and AI-enabled biology. As per Unilever, this investment reinforces the company's confidence in India's scientific talent and capabilities, with the partnership positioning India as an important innovation hub for global R&D operations. According to HUL's leadership, the investment reflects the company's commitment to leveraging India's emerging capabilities in bioscience and biomanufacturing for global innovation.
Unilever maintains four times the market share of its main competitor across emerging markets, which constitute about 50% of the world population. The company holds No.1 position in all these markets, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Africa and Vietnam, with many competitors having abandoned these regions. In India specifically, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) covers more than 9 million retail outlets and has achieved 40% growth rate over the last 11 quarters. India is one of Unilever's largest global R&D hubs, bringing together over 800 scientists, researchers, digital specialists, and designers. The country's strategic importance is further underscored by the fact that HUL sells close to 85 billion packs in India every single year, representing 16% of Unilever's global revenue.
According to Mint reports, HUL's revenue from operations rose 6% to ₹17,543 crore with a 7% rise in underlying volume growth in the July-September quarter. The volume growth represented the highest the company has seen in 21 quarters. In the Indian market, HUL holds significant market shares including 55% in haircare, close to 50% in laundry, 80% in functional drinks, 35% in skin cleansing, more than 30% in suncare, and 90% customer service in quick commerce. However, HUL's EBITDA margin was 23.6% in FY26, around 70 basis points lower than a year earlier, leading the company to focus on enabling 'growth and productivity' initiatives.
As reported by Mint, Unilever is learning quick commerce strategies from India, with the company's e-commerce business growing at 55% through partnerships with platforms like Blinkit. The company sells close to 85 billion packs in India every single year, representing 16% of Unilever's global revenue. Fernandez noted that customer service in quick commerce for HUL is at 90% today, compared to 76% from a year ago, positioning the company as having the best service level in the industry. The hubs encompass a range of new science and technology research, innovation, product development, and market-facing activities including consumer understanding, product adaptation, testing, validation, scale-up, and deployment.
According to Unilever's Richard Slater, chief R&D officer, "With India so deeply connected to our global R&D network, the capabilities and work across our India R&D hubs will help shape innovation for Unilever globally, across Beauty, Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and beyond." The company plans to apply its India strategy across emerging markets, leveraging advantages in distribution, product range and market share. At the investor event Capital Markets Day 2026, HUL released plans to target volume-led profit growth and restructure its portfolio toward higher-margin categories, reflecting parent company Unilever's Desire at Scale strategy. Priya Nair, managing director and CEO of HUL, emphasized that "India's emergence as a global innovation powerhouse presents an extraordinary opportunity" as one of the world's fastest-growing large economies, with the country's growing position as an innovation hub offering significant opportunities for developing science-led products for Indian consumers.
