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Oerth’s unique PROTAC® protein degradation technology is expected to be a new, game-changing generation of more sustainable crop protection products.

Bayer and the agricultural biotech company Oerth Bio announced a new collaboration seeking to develop the next generation of more sustainable crop protection products. The unique protein degradation technology used by Oerth Bio has the potential to generate products that support Bayer’s sustainability objective to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, via lower application rates and favorable safety profiles.

Oerth Bio was founded in 2019 by Bayer’s impact investment arm, Leaps by Bayer, and Arvinas (NASDAQ: ARVN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leading the way in the development of targeted protein degradation therapeutics. Initially developed to fight human diseases like cancer and other difficult to treat diseases, Oerth’s patented PROTAC® (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera) protein degradation technology provides an innovative pathway to entirely novel crop protection and climate resilient farm solutions. Oerth Bio remains the first and only company researching agricultural PROTAC® solutions.

“The world’s farmers need dependable and sustainable solutions to crop protection challenges, and PROTAC protein degradation technologies show an increasingly promising path toward a new way to develop tailored technologies,” said Dr. Robert Reiter, Head of R&D at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “We expect protein degradation technology, already used in medicine, to be an important cornerstone for the development of new crop protection products that reduce the impact on the environment significantly. Oerth Bio’s work has proven to be promising, and we are looking forward to what the next phase of our work together will bring.”

Oerth Bio’s targeted protein degraders offer the capacity for high-precision product development, low application rates, and paths to overcome biological resistance. Oerth molecules are designed to interact with only one target protein, and safeguard off-target/beneficial organisms. These attributes combine to offer a very attractive pathway for the development of novel crop protection products that are sustainable, and highly effective. PROTAC® molecules activate a specific naturally occurring process within target species. The impact is expected to be precise and limited to interrupting the specific targeted processes in weeds, diseases or insects that impact crops negatively.

“This collaboration further emboldens our ambitions for first-in-the-world farm centric protein degrader solutions,” said John Dombrosky, Oerth Bio CEO.

Oerth’s unique PROTAC® protein degradation technology is

Bayer receives the highest CDP score for its activities and transparency in climate change

Bayer has been recognized for leadership in corporate transparency and performance on climate change by global environmental non-profit CDP, securing a place on its annual ‘A List’. Bayer receives the highest CDP score for its activities and transparency in climate change. This rating confirms the company’s high commitment to sustainability. A record-breaking 18,700 companies disclosed data on environmental impacts, risks, and opportunities through CDP’s platform / 3.4 percent of companies scored on climate received an A (globally). Bayer, committed to net-zero by 2050, continues to reduce scope 1,2 & 3 own emissions and along the value chain following SBTi’s guidelines and supports decarbonization of agriculture through a 2.5-billion-euro innovation budget in crop science.

Bayer also appeared in the CDP “Forest” and “Water Scarcity” rankings. In “Forest” Bayer achieved a respectable “B” status while scoring an “A-” in “Water Scarcity”. A record number of companies participated in this year’s CDP ranking.

Based on data reported through CDP’s 2022 Climate Change questionnaire, Bayer is one of a small number of companies that achieved an ‘A’ – out of nearly 15,000 companies scored. Bayer has held its leadership position for half a decade and has never scored below an A- since first submitting a CDP climate change questionnaire in 2010. This year, 3.4 percent of companies scored on climate received an A rating.

Matthias Berninger, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Science, Sustainability & HSE at Bayer, said: “Bayer’s excellent track record of CDP ratings in the past few years and the latest result validate the company’s high commitment to sustainability. The maintenance of a CDP A-rating for our work and transparency around climate change is an important acknowledgment of our ongoing position as a world-leading company in this field. CDP holds us to account for reporting on our ambitious efforts in decarbonization and demonstrates that reporting requirements recently proposed by several governments are attainable.”

CDP’s annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. In 2022, over 680 investors with over 130 trillion U.S. dollars in assets and 280 major purchasers with 6.4 trillion U.S. dollars in procurement spend requested companies to disclose data on environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP’s platform. A record-breaking 18,700 companies responded.

Bayer receives the highest CDP score

 SynTech considers this as an opportunity to offer its customers a complete package of services in Europe

Changing expectations and the transformation of the agriculture industry has driven Bayer to adapt to support farmers and agriculture as a whole. Bayer’s strategy focuses on long-term developments, technology trends and customer expectations. In line with this strategy, Bayer has announced its intention to divest the Lyon residue laboratory to an external partner, such activities being very commonly outsourced for many players in the agricultural sector.

The residue laboratory employs 15 permanent and two fixed-term employees. This team is in charge of quantifying residues of crop protection products in agricultural commodities and in toxicological studies.

SynTech Research Group is a leading global agricultural contract research, product positioning, development, registration, and market support services provider. It has over 600 experienced scientists and managers, working from a network of experimental field stations, laboratories and regulatory service locations in over 40 countries. Its rapidly expanding business provides services globally to agrochemical, bio-solutions and seeds and traits customers, based on its strengths in science, agronomy, regulatory and market experience.

SynTech Research Group considers this acquisition to be an opportunity to develop and complete its service offering for residue analysis and to offer its customers a complete package of services in Europe. Already present in USA and Brazil for residue analysis, SynTech Research Group aims to become the world leader in this activity. Through this acquisition, the Lyon laboratory holds the potential to become the European regional center of excellence for “Product Safety Services”.

Bayer thus sees SynTech Research Group as a solid potential acquirer of the Lyon Residue Analysis Laboratory. Confident in the expertise of the divested business, Bayer would become a privileged partner through the establishment of long-term collaboration contracts.

The process would take approximately six months. Over the next months, Bayer will discuss the terms of the offer with SynTech Research Group and consult with the workers councils. If these steps are successfully completed, Bayer would sign a definitive agreement with SynTech Research Group. The sale would be expected to become effective June 1, 2023, providing all necessary regulatory approvals and closing conditions are satisfied.

From the date of sale, Bayer is committed to set up post-closing agreements that would maintain operational processes and business continuity of activities. Until closing, the laboratory would continue to operate as part of Bayer, with no impact on its activities. As always, Bayer is committed to supporting the concerned employees through the upcoming changes in a spirit of fairness and consideration for all.

Due to confidentiality agreements, Bayer and SynTech Research Group cannot divulge any further details about the process.

 SynTech considers this as an opportunity

Targenomix to continue its startup approach as a standalone entity wholly-owned by Bayer

Bayer has announced the acquisition of German biotech start-up Targenomix. The spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI MPP) uses novel systems biology and computational life science tools to identify new modes of action for crop protection compounds.

The Targenomix expertise, personnel, and platforms will be an important part of delivering on Bayer’s commitment to the design of safe and effective molecules and will accelerate the discovery and development of molecules with the potential to make agricultural production more sustainable despite dynamic challenges like climate change, and increasing weed, disease and insect resistance.

Targenomix, a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, will contribute to Bayer’s Crop Science R&D pipeline by continuing to deliver novel systems biology approaches for innovative crop protection discovery. Targenomix will continue its startup approach as a standalone entity wholly-owned by Bayer.

Dr Robert Reiter, Head of R&D at Bayer’s Crop Science Division said, “By using a unique and holistic systems biology approach and leveraging leading expertise building on a strong scientific foundation stemming from the MPI MPP, Targenomix has delivered numerous novel targets and modes of action for small molecules in weed control. Their innovative tools to identify and select safe and sustainable compounds complement our design-based strategy in crop protection discovery and will accelerate the development of new products that farmers need to meet future challenges of agriculture.”

By further integrating Targenomix’ systems biology approach into Bayer’s established R&D pipeline, Bayer is driving the development of innovative new technologies towards safe and effective products that farmers need. “Combining Bayer’s leading capabilities and proven crop protection pipeline with Targenomix’ flexible startup mindset, deep multi-omics technology, and systems biology expertise will allow us jointly to continue to deliver novel modes of action,” said Dr Sebastian Klie, CEO of Targenomix.

Targenomix to continue its startup approach

Green Deal to focus on sustainable food security

Bayer has announced the official kick-off of the LifeHub Monheim, a future partnership-focused facility located on the campus of Bayer’s global Crop Science Division headquarters in Monheim, Germany.

As the newest addition to Bayer’s global LifeHub network, LifeHub Monheim will bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, and scientists from all over Europe to share knowledge, experience and resources that will help enable sustainable food security for the world’s growing population.

LifeHub Monheim will work with leading innovators from the European open innovation ecosystem, providing expertise and resources for partners of all sizes.

“Building a community of innovators starts by bringing people together, and that’s what LifeHub Monheim is all about,” said Axel Trautwein, Head of Regulatory Science at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “From decision makers and financial resources to scientists, the Bayer LifeHubs around the world make connections and pair resources and expertise with those that need them. We’re excited to be showing so clearly our commitment to the growing innovation ecosystem of Germany and can’t wait to see what we discover together.”

Green Deal to focus on sustainable food

Targeting development of biological solutions in nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration and next gen crop protection

Bayer announced that the company has closed the previously announced transaction with Ginkgo Bioworks to begin a multi-year strategic partnership to accelerate research and development of biological products for agriculture. The transaction includes the divestment of Bayer’s West Sacramento Biologics Research & Development site, and its internal discovery and lead optimisation platform.

With the close of this transaction, the Biologics business which is part of Bayer’s Crop Science Division, will also be able to further engage the open innovation ecosystem and build upon its leading position as partner of choice for innovators and scientists around the world.

Joyn Bio, the joint venture created by Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks in 2017, will be integrated into Ginkgo Bioworks to enable the continued advancement of Joyn Bio’s innovative nitrogen fixation platform. As part of the agreement, Bayer retains the right to commercialize the technology to complement synthetic fertilizer use in the coming years. Bayer is now the first major partner of Ginkgo Bioworks expanded agricultural biologicals platform, entering into a new collaboration focused on important programs in the areas of crop protection, nitrogen fixation, and carbon sequestration to identify next generation biologicals that provide clear benefits to growers.

“Biological solutions play a critical role in the agricultural innovation ecosystem, and we see tremendous opportunity for these products to add even more value for agriculture in the future,” said Dr Robert Reiter, Head of R&D at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “The open innovation approach will accelerate the product pipeline and will make sure that we bring high-quality biological solutions and innovative technologies to the market faster.”

Ginkgo Bioworks aims to develop and advance agricultural microbial solutions across crops and geographies through broad, fully-enabled technical platforms that address diverse market needs. Ginkgo Bioworks will work independently with different partners in the discovery of microbial derived products for agriculture.

“Ginkgo is committed to harnessing the power of programmable biology to enable sustainable food production and food security worldwide,” said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. “We look forward to partnering with Bayer and other innovative companies, and to bringing more applications on to Ginkgo’s expanded agricultural biologicals platform so that growers worldwide can develop breakthrough products.”

Targeting development of biological solutions in nitrogen

Smallholder farmers growing paddy, soyabean, corn and cotton, FPOs and Agripreneurs to benefit

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, has initiated the commercial application of drones in agriculture from Kharif 2022. Drone services will be made available for crop protection purposes across paddy, cotton, soyabean, corn and horticulture crops in a phased manner. Bayer became the first company to initiate internal trials and association with universities and research stations for technology development and regulatory data generation.

The services will benefit smallholder farmers across the states of Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and many other states in field crops and other horticultural crops where farmers are facing challenges. Additionally, the move will also benefit Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Progressive farmers by providing opportunities to village entrepreneurs who are running Better Life Farming centres and others interested in leveraging drone services for their enterprises to offer solutions to smallholder farmers. Bayer will support such entrepreneurs by facilitating machinery, Crop and product know-how, business support and training.

Speaking on the development, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “We welcome the Government’s encouraging efforts to develop drone technology ecosystem for Indian farmers and allow commercial usage of drones for Crop protection purposes. This is a positive step toward sustainable agriculture and for enhancing smallholder farmers’ prosperity. We are committed to bringing about a positive change by advancing digitisation and mechanisation in agriculture to spur food security in the region.

Bayer supports the vision of Make in India and has partnered with innovative Indian drone startups, to make drone-based services available to farmers and create livelihood opportunities for upcoming rural entrepreneurs.

Smallholder farmers growing paddy, soyabean, corn and

The program has registered more than 4000 Sahbhaagis across India and is now focusing on empowering more women and youth Agri-entrepreneurs

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, announced its plan to scale up its Sahbhaagi program to empower rural women and youth with an aim to develop a comprehensive agricultural ecosystem. The ‘Bayer Sahbhaagi Program’ was launched in 2019 and today the program has more than 4000 Sahbhaagis across India. This initiative creates unique opportunities for rural entrepreneurs to partner with Bayer, explore alternate demand generation routes and enhance Bayer’s reach to farmers.

Sahbhaagi is a rural micro-entrepreneurship development model which empowers farmers, women and rural youth to become an advisor and recommend right solutions to smallholder growers. The scale-up of the Sahbhaagi program will include adding more Sahbhaagi partners to create a strong network of outreach and engagement with farmers across India, and anyone above the age of 18 with knowledge of agriculture and access to a smartphone is eligible to become a Sahbhaagi. In addition to enrolling young Agri-entrepreneurs, Bayer understands the major role women play in shaping their families and the agriculture value chain. Their role as influencers in buying decisions makes them the perfect partners to scale up the program.

The program will be further fueled by the adoption of smartphones and evolving digital technologies that have created new touchpoints with farmers. The Sahbhaagis have been trained and equipped to recommend the right solutions to smallholder farmers as per local farm conditions. The smallholder growers get access to Bayer products digitally with the assistance of the Sahbhaagi This program is currently active in 24 states, across more than 470 districts and 1980 sub-districts.

Speaking about the program, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka said, “In our broad effort to transform agricultural practices for the benefit of local communities, we aim to provide opportunities to micro-entrepreneurs to encourage sustainable and responsible farming and support rural productivity. Bayer will continue to work closely with these Sahbhaagis to create a sustainable ecosystem in their villages, adopting the latest agricultural and farming practices, learning the technical know-how of Bayer products and offering customized crop and product advisory to farmers.”

Bayer has also set up a toll-free number 18001204049 to provide more details to the rural population and facilitate enrollment in the Sahbhaagi program.

The program has registered more than 4000

Bayer has recently launched ‘ForGround’, a farmer-first digital platform in the United States which promises to transform the way farms of all sizes can more easily make the transition to sustainable agricultural practices. ForGround offers tools, resources, and discounts to advance the adoption of climate smart practices that can transform value chains.
Potential benefits from transitioning to regenerative agriculture includes: 

  • Improved soil health
  • Reduced water uses
  • Fewer inputs 
  • Increased weather resiliency
  • Less soil erosion

The platform is built on Bayer’s years of experience and knowledge in this area to leverage digital infrastructure which allows companies to create, manage and track progress, taking advantage of Bayer’s Climate FieldView™ Platform footprint and data capabilities. It enables farmers to participate in this increasingly transparent supply chain where consumers are interested in knowing how their food is produced.
“As a global leader in agriculture, Bayer is uniquely positioned to help drive lasting change by working directly with farmers and businesses through leveraging our global scale to reduce our impact on the planet and support farms for generations to come”, said Leo Bastos, Head of Global Commercial Ecosystems, Bayer CropScience.

Bayer has recently launched ‘ForGround’, a farmer-first

Bayer has launched Roundup Top in Argentina as the most concentrated glyphosate herbicide on the market. It is reportedly delivering very good performance among those who have already accessed this new product. Roundup Top addresses the issue of sustainability. Being the most concentrated liquid product on the market, it reduces the amount of plastic utilised for drums. Also, by changing the colour of the container for a white one, the segregation of the containers is improved. 

Alejandro Sebastian Gómez, Herbicides Manager – Regional Marketing Conosur en Bayer Crop Science, Argentina, reveals, “This herbicide is specifically for the pre-emergent and post-emergent control of annual and perennial weeds, both grasses and broadleaf, it is absorbed by leaves and green tissues, taking it to the roots, ensuring its effectiveness”. Gómez adds, “Important trials have been carried out to prove the efficacy of the product, we have done them with fallow land, within what are the main weeds and we have seen differences in performance, with much better results.” He also details that synergy can be done with the rest of the Bayer portfolio

Bayer has also decided to give a guarantee on Roundup Top. Gómez explains, “The producer will find the guarantee and even a refund in the terms and conditions in the event that the product does not meet the agreed conditions. That benefit is unique to the Roundup line. ″

The Bayer manager detailed what is coming for the firm for the remainder of 2022. In the context of the current instability in the country, Bayer is in a good market position since Roundup is produced by them in Argentina, therefore the bet is to continue growing ’with enormous challenges’. 

Bayer has launched Roundup Top in Argentina

 It will help the company to gain new revenue streams through potential commercialization of oilseed crop for renewable fuels and livestock feed with ecosystem benefits.

Bayer and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (Chevron), a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, have signed a shareholders’ agreement in connection with Bayer’s acquisition of a 65 percent majority ownership of the winter oilseed producer CoverCress, Inc. (CCI). The remaining 35 percent of CCI will continue ownership under Bunge and Chevron.

CoverCress™ is a rotational cash crop which combines grain production with the environmental benefits of a cover crop without displacing other harvests. Oil extracted from CoverCress™ grain is designed to achieve a lower carbon intensity score and can be made into renewable diesel with Bunge’s expertise in oilseed processing and Chevron’s proficiency in fuels manufacturing. This farm-to-fuel supply chain represented by CCI, Bayer, Bunge and Chevron aim to give corn and soybean growers another revenue outlet by providing the world with a desirable fuel product and high-protein meal for animal feed.

“CoverCress is exciting because it has the potential to become an important source for biofuel production as a new harvested rotational crop, while giving growers an innovative option to continue effective stewardship of their land and improve soil quality by acting as a cover crop,” said Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and President of the Crop Science Division.

Aligning the combined expertise of Bayer, Bunge, and Chevron with the potential held by CoverCress™ will position CCI to further develop and commercialize its namesake winter oilseed into a rotational cash cover crop with potential sustainability and carbon sequestration benefits and bring a new lower carbon fuel feedstock to the renewable diesel industry. CCI, which will continue to operate as an independent entity, has developed CoverCress™ as a unique crop whose grain is a lower carbon, low-input source for fuel and feed.

“Since our founding in 2013 we have actively sought – and benefited from – scientific, operational, and financial support from our academic and strategic partners. The progress we have made in converting pennycress into our novel, lower carbon intensity oilseed technology, CoverCress™, would have been much slower without this critical support,” said Mike DeCamp, CEO and president of CCI.

By leveraging expertise and backing from leaders in fuels, soybean crushing, logistics, and crop sciences, CCI will be positioned to deliver on its full potential via a supply chain that understands its crop’s production, growth, processing, and delivery needs from the ground up.

 It will help the company to gain

Ginkgo to acquire Bayer’s 175,000-square-foot Biologics R&D center and enter into a new multi-year platform collaboration with Bayer to advance several agricultural biological programs.

Ginkgo Bioworks, the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the previously announced transaction with Bayer to expand Ginkgo’s platform capabilities in agricultural biologicals. These capabilities will be built pursuant to a transaction in which Ginkgo will acquire Bayer’s 175,000-square-foot West Sacramento Biologics Research & Development site, team, and internal discovery and lead optimization platform for approximately $83.0 million in consideration. The proposed transaction is projected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Ginkgo will also integrate the R&D platform assets from Joyn Bio, a joint-venture between Ginkgo and Leaps by Bayer formed in 2017.

While chemical and plant trait products are currently the dominant offerings on the market to improve crop performance, agricultural biologicals are a rapidly growing category of solutions that have the potential to offer tremendous sustainability and performance benefits. Bayer will be the first major partner of Ginkgo’s expanded agricultural biologicals platform, entering into a new collaboration focused on the advancement of Joyn’s marquee nitrogen fixation program, as well as new programs in areas such as crop protection and carbon sequestration.

As part of a three-year strategic partnership, Ginkgo will provide research services to Bayer in the field of agricultural biologicals with the potential to earn downstream value in the form of royalties on net sales from products developed under the partnership.  As previously disclosed, it is expected that the cash proceeds from this collaboration with Bayer will significantly offset the operating expenses acquired through the transaction.  In addition to this collaboration with Bayer, Ginkgo expects to engage with other customers in supporting the development of their agricultural biological programs.

Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks said, “By acquiring one of the premier R&D sites for agricultural biologicals worldwide and partnering with the best-in-class teams at Bayer and Joyn, we are demonstrating our commitment to developing breakthrough products for growers around the world.”

Ginkgo to acquire Bayer's 175,000-square-foot Biologics R&D

 The model aims to benefit 25,000 soybean farmers in the Latur, Osmanabad & Beed districts of Maharashtra in the first year.

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in India with ADM, a global leader in sustainable human and animal nutrition. The partnership will enhance sustainable value offerings to soybean farmers in the Latur, Osmanabad & Beed districts of Maharashtra and expand further to Karnataka, subsequently. 

In India, ADM’s principal business is processing of oilseeds into edible oils, animal feeds and feed ingredients and human nutrition ingredients. ADM has a large network of farmers in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, through Krishi Vikas Kendras’ (KVK) network of 50+ crop-development and procurement centers. The centres are staffed by agronomists who offer local farmers training in best agricultural practices, as well as procurement services. ADM’s Sustainability Program creates opportunities for small landholding farmers to get training in socioeconomic and environmental sustainability principles and third-party audits, through the European organization, ProTerra Foundation. 

Bayer aims to reach twenty-five thousand soybean farmers in ADM’s network in the first year. During the period, Bayer will provide a specialized schedule of crop management prepared in consultation with ADM and agricultural universities for all the crops in the working area as and when required. It will also develop a crop protection package for all crops of soybean & pulses by providing legally permitted, non -hazardous crop protection chemicals as allowed under sustainable crop production principles. ADM will provide Bayer with details regarding the partner farmers & area of operations. Bayer will follow a Seed to Market approach with the inclusion of sustainability elements such as complete package promotion of seed treatment, pesticides, and agronomic advisory along with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. It will also demonstrate good agricultural practices on demo plots & conduct field visits for extending practical experience to farmers. The MoU will be valid for a period of three years. 

Speaking on the partnership, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science  Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “In contrast to cereal production, India is  far from self-sufficient in edible oil production, importing nearly 60% of its domestic edible oil  requirement. Increasing the yield of soybean cultivation sustainably is essential to reduce import dependency and increase the income for soybean farmers to increase the attractiveness of the crop. 

Speaking on the same, Amrendra Mishra, MD Oilseeds Country Manager India, said, “This partnership is aimed at training the farmers to adapt responsible agricultural practices and progressively enhance the level of compliance to sustainable standards of agricultural production. Together, Bayer and ADM are making a tangible, positive impact at the field level by partnering with farmers to not only focus on environmental security, but also on food security.” 

 The model aims to benefit 25,000 soybean

It is the first step towards becoming a partner and hub for research and development of new biological techniques and solutions for Bayer.

MAAVi Innovation Centre of Kimitec, Europe’s largest research centre focused on natural agriculture and one of the world’s largest natural technology hubs for food systems transformation, has announced Bayer is evaluating some Kimitec products. Tests are focused on the potential for future joint research and development of sustainable and effective biological products that leverage Kimitec’s expertise in biostimulants, biopesticides and the soil microbiome.

“This is the first step towards becoming a partner and hub for research and development of new biological techniques and solutions for Bayer. Together, we will move toward a paradigm shift in agriculture with the use of products derived from natural sources,” says Felix Garcia, CEO and Founder of MAAVi Innovation Center and Kimitec.

In line with the objectives of the European Green Pact, Kimitec’s MAAVi Innovation Center focuses on the environmental impact of agriculture while maintaining productivity to support global food security. MAAVi’s research is the starting point for the development of a more sustainable food production system and is currently working to realise the objectives of the Horizon Europe and Farm to Fork programmes.

“MAAVi’s expertise in developing biological solutions that support sustainable futures for agriculture offers a lot of potential,” stresses Benoit Hartmann, Head of Biologicals for Bayer. “We look forward to continuing our evaluations with this agricultural R&D centre.”

It is the first step towards becoming