Saint-Gobain spends some 366 million Euros in research and development, and a staff around 3500 are working in the group's 15 research laboratories, which are complemented by a large number of smaller development units specializing in pilot projects and other activities with the main production sites. While most research centers are located in France, the Group also has several important centers in Germany, Spain, and the United States.

This highly communicative system of research laboratories and development units is an integral part of activity within each of the group's Divisions. Their expertise is centered around the fields of:

- High-temperature processes
- Engineered microstructure materials and ceramics
- Plastic materials and cements
- Surface treatments and coatings
- Multimaterials and composites


Saint-Gobain partners with innovative start-up companies

The objectives of this particularly important resource for Saint-Gobain in its innovation strategy are to prepare Saint-Gobain's future by developing attractive new products, by innovative use and combination of leading-edge materials while improving quality and performance of existing products to satisfy customer expectations, as well as protecting the environment by designing optimized utilization properties and recyclability into the products, by upgrading manufacturing processes, and by fostering safety and health considerations.