DEERFIELD, ILL.— Mondelez International is seeking to develop new chocolate, biscuit and candy products servicing over 150 different countries by investing $6 million in its U.K.-based Reading Science Centre.

The Reading Science Centre is one of 11 technical centers that together comprise Mondelez’s global network of strategically positioned tech hubs. The goal of the network is to support the company’s growth-oriented innovation agenda by improving speed, efficiency and effectiveness in addressing evolving consumer needs. The investment comes on top of a previously announced $65 million investment in all 11 centers around the world.

“Our mission at Mondelez International is simple – to offer consumers the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way,” said Robin S. Hargrove, executive vice-president, research, development and quality at Mondelez. “Our global technical center network is crucial to support this. Reading is our largest global R.&D. center dedicated to research work and, as such, it’s a central hub for food testing and analysis for all our product categories. This new investment will enable us to further accelerate our understanding of the science behind our products.”

The Reading Science Centre is currently home to more than 290 scientists, chemists, food technologists and other specialists. The company said its new investment will create 50 highly skilled food science and engineering jobs over the next five years.