ADAMA and Tel Aviv University Collaborate to Establish a First-of-a-Kind Research and Teaching Center for the Development of Innovative Crop Protection Solutions
ADAMA Ltd. leading global crop Protection Company and Tel Aviv University (“TAU”) launched a unique research and teaching program on active substance delivery and formulation, an innovation and growth driver in the worlds of agriculture and crop protection. The innovative study program will be taught at The ADAMA Center for Novel Crop Protection Delivery Systems at Tel Aviv University.
The collaboration between ADAMA and TAU will combine the worlds of industry and academia, training advanced degree research students of chemistry, life sciences and engineering in the delivery and formulation of active crop protection substances, a field in desperate need of more experts.
Dr. Elad Shabtai, VP Innovation, Development, Research and Registration at ADAMA, explains that to date, specialization in delivery and formulation could only be acquired by people already working in the industry and could not be studied as a profession, or experience acquired, in academic institutions anywhere in the world, leading to a growing shortage of experts in the field.
ADAMA will also be investing in a world-class research laboratory that will be established in the School of Chemistry, where the program’s research and experiments will be carried out. ADAMA will award scholarships to 25 students from a range of disciplines such as chemistry, materials engineering, plant sciences and others, who will earn their advanced degrees with specialization in delivery and formulation. Students will have access to ADAMA’s state-of-the-art laboratories to conduct experiments and will receive practical training from the Company’s research people.
This initiative is also tied to ADAMA’s vision for the next generation of crop protection formulations. These products are anticipated to deliver better efficacy to control crop disease, combat resistances and enhance farm yields and food supply while requiring less usage of crop protection active ingredients thus reducing their footprint on the environment and in the food chain.
Chen Lichtenstein, President and CEO of ADAMA says, “ADAMA recognizes that its success in the competitive global market relies on research and development capabilities as a driver of strategic growth. The international delivery and formulation research center we are inaugurating at Tel Aviv University will enable us to together train the finest researchers in the field, thus preparing them to join the ranks of the agrochemical industry for the benefit of the development of groundbreaking products that deliver a response to the challenges currently facing world agriculture.”
“This collaboration will contribute significantly to the advancement of research and teaching in the spheres of chemistry, food, agriculture and crop protection, which will be a great boon for Israel,”
says Prof. Ariel Porat, TAU President.
Prof. Roey Amir of the School of Chemistry and Head of the ADAMA Center for Innovative Crop Protection Solutions at TAU added, “In the past few years there has been a demand for the development of smart agriculture, which will help minimize quantities of crop protection substances while enhancing their efficacy through novel delivery systems, similar to what is currently taking place in biomedical research. Establishment of the Center will enable us to work, together with ADAMA, on training the future generation of scientists who will lead the field in Israel and worldwide.”
