January: Extending its strategy of establishing research centers in growing economies, HP opens a research lab in St. Petersburg, Russia. HP Labs Russia is the third facility that the company has opened in the past five years. HP Labs China began operations in Beijing in 2005, and HP Labs India opened in Bangalore in 2002. HP Labs also has facilities in Bristol, U.K. (1984), Haifa, Israel (1994) and Tokyo, Japan (1990). Its headquarters site is in Palo Alto.
In July, HP achieves its goal of recycling one billion pounds of electronics. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inception of HP recycling programs, which now operate in more than 40 countries, regions and territories.
September: HP licenses its technology for a drug delivery skin patch that enables painless, controlled release of drugs. Developed as a way to repurpose its inkjet technology, the technology in the skin patch is similar to that employed in HP’s patented process for its inkjet cartridges.