The license includes commercialisation rights for the varieties developed by Pairwise and rights to develop new varieties.
The importance of Bayer’s strategic open innovation approach has already been proven, now most recently through a new licensing agreement with US-based pioneering food and agtech startup Pairwise. Bayer has acquired a license from Pairwise that grants rights to work with and commercialise Pairwise’s genome edited mustard greens. These are a mix of colourful leafy greens with a unique, fresh flavour and higher nutrition compared to lettuce, achieved through genome editing. They were the first gene-edited food introduced to the North American market.
“This agreement and its focus on genome-edited produce made a substantial contribution to our open innovation approach. We’re excited to partner with Pairwise on their innovative leafy greens, which deliver a new, great-tasting salad option with high nutrition value,” said JD Rossouw. “The latest deal creates value beyond just selling a product, as it also comes with rights to use the knowledge, intellectual property, and technology going forward.” The license includes commercialisation rights for the varieties developed by Pairwise and rights to develop new varieties.
Open innovation platform for genome editing in vegetables
The collaborations with G+FLAS and Pairwise are an example of a crucial part of Bayer’s innovation strategy: combining Bayer’s leading Research & Development capabilities with knowledge and ingenuity from experts outside the company. As part of this, Bayer has now started another open innovation platform with a focus on genome editing in fruits and vegetables.
“Great innovations need great minds and the power of many. This is why we are seeking to partner with academic researchers and companies to develop new fruit and vegetable products that have increased nutritional content, positive environmental impact, or enhanced consumer appeal by harnessing the speed and precision of genome editing and new breeding techniques,” said JD Rossouw.
