The company said this morning that Prof Harry Barkema, DSM chair of innovation management, will be responsible for organizing the Innovation-Cocreation Lab (ICCL), which the firm said is the first of its kind in Europe.

A spokesman said the objective of this building is to develop, in alliance with companies, researchers and institutions, "new strategies and organizational designs in order to provide high value product innovation and new business models."

However, the firm was unavailable for further comment as NutraIngredient.com was published.

Feike Sijbesma, chairman of DSM's Managing Board, said: "For DSM, innovation is of the utmost importance.

"It's one of the driving forces to realize our strategy, Vision 2010 - Building on Strengths. By sponsoring this Innovation Management chair and the Innovation-Cocreation Lab, we aim to accelerate our own innovation efforts as well as raise the level of knowledge and expertise in the field of innovation management."

In June the firm launched an ambitious plan to increase profits in its nutritional arm by €100mn, chiefly to offset costs involved with the take-over of Roche vitamins in 2003.

This restructuring program, which cost €40m, was planned to achieve the targeted growth set out in the company's 2005 five-year plan, Vision 2010.

Prof. Han van Dissel, dean of RSM, added: "Today, innovation is a very important theme, both for society and for the business community. RSM Erasmus University wants to be on top of this development. We are pleased that DSM, is enabling us to start this lab, with a top research team, which will act as a multiplier for innovation."

Last month DSM unveiled the first two ingredients in a series of "innovative" products which it hoped would be used by Dutch athletes in the Beijing Olympics next year.

The DSM group reports annual sales of over €8bn and employs some 22,000 people worldwide.