Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant said on Wednesday that it plans to establish a research and development center in Shanghai.

The R&D Center, expected to be operational by 2015, is intended to cater to the burgeoning Chinese specialty chemicals industry, which Clariant has been serving since 2011, by providing enhanced technical service and developing catalytic solutions tailored to China's requirements. The company's previous ventures in China have focused on coal-to-methanol catalysts.

The center will focus on coal-to-chemicals and specialty applications while developing new catalysts for hydrogenation applications and supporting Clariant's pre-existing Chinese production sites.