Connect with:
Sunday / December 22. 2024

logo
mobile-logo
HomePosts Tagged "Bayer" (Page 4)
Agrotech, Company News, Europe, R&D

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

Agrotech, Company News, India

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

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, India

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

Company News, Environment, North America, Sustainability

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

Agro chems – Pesticides, Inputs, Latin America, World

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

Agrotech, Company News, Europe, Finance

 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

Agrotech, Company News, R&D

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

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, India

 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

Agrotech, Europe, R&D

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

Finance

TierraSpec will revolutionise the measurement and validation of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils

The Bayer Trendlines Ag Innovation Fund, set up by Bayer CropScience LP (Bayer) and The Trendlines Group Limited, announced the establishment of TierraSpec Limited, a new company focused on real-time remote measurement and validation of carbon sequestration in agricultural soil to allow the issue of carbon credits and soil health monitoring.

TierraSpec is developing a platform for measuring and validating carbon sequestration in agricultural soils using remote sensing, employing unique testing methods and advanced machine learning modelling. The platform will be a cost-effective tool for the validation of carbon sequestration that will allow reporting to carbon registries for issuance and sale of carbon credits.

Trendlines Agrifood Fund CEO, Nitza Kardish, PhD commented, “We believe TierraSpec will revolutionise the measurement and validation of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. Enabling farmers to accurately report on the carbon content in their fields will give them access to the carbon credit markets and encourage a widespread move to more sustainable agricultural practices.”   

“Scalable soil measurement, reporting, and verification will be crucial in the development of a model-based soil organic carbon estimation,” said Johan Botterman, PhD, from the Open Innovation and Strategic Partnerships team for Bayer CropScience.

TierraSpec will revolutionise the measurement and validation

Agrotech, Sustainability

Sstudents participated in business plan and technology innovation contests

The Future Agriculture Leaders of India (FALI) Program recently concluded its 8th Convention at Jain Hills in Jalgaon. In its eighth year, FALI has established itself as a unique, high impact programme that makes agriculture attractive for the next generation by providing interactive learning, field visits, business plan contests, and exposure to cutting-edge agriculture and agribusiness. In the last academic year, FALI provided its programme to over 11,000 (eighth and ninth standard) students across 135 government-aided rural schools in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The number of FALI alums today totals 25,000, most pursuing higher education in science and agriculture and positioned to be future leaders of Indian agriculture.

In its first eight years, FALI has received strong support from several leading agribusinesses in India: Godrej Agrovet, Jain Irrigation, UPL, Bayer and StarAgri. At the FALI Convention, these companies participated along with leaders of over ten other agribusinesses and banks interested in supporting FALI 9 and beyond. These companies concur that the results of FALI have shifted the attitudes of students and their parents, who before saw subsistence farming as an unattractive career for their children. FALI students have taken home modern agriculture practices and with FALI, parents see modern, sustainable agriculture and agro-enterprise as a promising path for their children.

Over the next ten years, FALI is expected to increase the number of students and schools by 25 per cent a year in Maharashtra and Gujarat, adding Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. At this rate, FALI would have backed the creation of over 2,50,000 future leaders of Indian agriculture in the next few years. The Board in its recent AGM also agreed on programmes for FALI alums, internships, scholarships and seed funding for FALI alumni ventures.

Commenting on the Board’s decision to expand the initiative’s reach, Nadir B Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Agrovet, and Chair of the Association for FALI, said, “Despite registering impressive growth by the sector, agriculture in India is losing its sheen with the next generation. We need to overcome economic, social, and psychological barriers jointly. FALI’s efforts have steered over 11,000 students towards modern and sustainable agriculture in the last eight years. Today, as the Chair of the Association for FALI, I am delighted to announce our plans to expand the footprint of this innovative programme to three more states of India. It aligns with our commitment to promote sustainable agriculture and agro-entrepreneurship among the next generation.”

At the FALI 8 Convention over 800 of the top FALI students participated in business plan and technology innovation contests which were judged by senior managers of companies which do or plan to support FALI.

Sstudents participated in business plan and technology

Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News

The insecticide has been developed by Bayer for integrated pest control

UPL has announced a new supply agreement for ‘Spirotetramat’, an insecticide created and developed by Bayer for integrated pest control. The agreement reflects UPL’s OpenAg purpose and commitment to open industry collaboration.

Through this long-term global data access and supply agreement, UPL will use its expertise in insecticides and global research and development network to develop, register and distribute new differentiated solutions containing Spirotetramat, that address farmer needs specifically around resistance management and/or hard-to-control sucking pests.

Mike Frank, President and COO, UPL, said, “As a global leader in crop protection, we have established the OpenAg purpose to drive collaboration with expert industry partners like Bayer. As pests continue to evolve, we must stay agile and ensure our solutions are addressing grower needs. At UPL we are continually working to expand our toolbox of products and solutions.”

Hartmut van Lengerich, Head of Global Crop Protection Asset Management, Bayer Crop Science, said, “This global agreement represents an expanded partnership between our two companies. Our industry is aware of the increasing challenges growers face in managing pests effectively. Spirotetramat protects growers’ plants from a wide range of pests, leading to healthier crops, and UPL’s Spirotetramat offerings will expand this protection even further with additional differentiated products for the global agricultural community.”

The insecticide has been developed by Bayer

Agrotech, Company News, Finance, Seeds, Vegetables

Bayer will work toward increasing the sustainable productivity for 100 million smallholder farmers through empowerment and access to agricultural products and expertise by 2030.

Joining like-minded companies in the private sector, Bayer has signed the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge with a 160 million U.S. dollar commitment dedicated to help end global hunger. The Pledge recognizes the need for governments and the private sector to work together to end food scarcity. Companies taking the pledge commit to investing money, resources and expertise in areas of concern within regions where they do business. Bayer’s commitment will go toward communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“At Bayer, where we work every day toward realizing our vision of Health for all, Hunger for none, it’s agonizing to know that one in every 10 people worldwide goes to bed hungry,” said Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Bayer AG and President of the company’s Crop Science Division who will outline Bayer’s commitment during a panel discussion in the Sustainable Development Goals tent at The World Economic Forum in Davos. “This crisis affects us all and needs the support of everyone to solve it. Our pledge further puts into practice Bayer’s commitment to help end hunger through alignment of our investments and business operations to achieve this goal.”

As a global leader in agriculture dedicated to advancing sustainable farming for the benefit of growers, consumers, and the planet, Bayer drives its Zero Hunger Pledge commitments on multiple levels. This includes helping smallholder farmer’s access seeds which contain the latest technology, educating communities on sustainable agricultural practices, providing growers with farming solutions, and introducing smallholder farmers to new income-generating opportunities.

More than half of Bayer’s investment to be in vegetable seeds and R&D to support smallholder farmers.Through Bayer’s Vegetable Seeds business, these farmers will receive improved varieties of quality seeds critical to local diets like okra and bitter gourd. They will also gain access to innovative farming solutions, designed to reduce field and post-harvest losses, such as in the Ansal tomato. This variety provides longer shelf life and fruit firmness which is already helping to decrease losses in India from about 30 percent to less than 10 percent. Donating vegetable seeds to nonprofit organizations is also part of the commitment, to help combat hunger and promote the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Bayer will work toward increasing the sustainable

R&D

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial strategic partner with Bayer in their work to develop biological solutions in fields like nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration, and next generation crop protection

Bayer recently announced that the company is pursuing an agreement whereby Ginkgo Bioworks will acquire Bayer’s West Sacramento Biologics Research & Development (R&D) site and internal discovery and lead optimisation platform. The contemplated transaction, projected to close before the end of 2022 pending final negotiation of the agreement terms and subject to regulatory approvals, would also bring Joyn Bio’s nitrogen-fixing technologies to Bayer, successfully closing the joint venture created between Leaps by Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks in 2017.

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial strategic partner with Bayer in their work to develop biological solutions in fields like nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration, and next generation crop protection.

The transaction will enable Bayer to expand its leading biologicals position, strengthen its access to key enabling technology in synthetic biology, and maintain Bayer’s role as the preferred research, development, and commercial partner in the biologics segment.

“Bayer’s work in the rapidly growing biologics space is an essential part of our commitment to sustainability and providing effective climate-smart products like nitrogen fixing and optimization technologies,” said Bob Reiter, Head of R&D for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Our work with Ginkgo will accelerate our biologicals pipeline by leveraging Bayer’s expertise in bringing reliable and effective biological products to market against Ginkgo’s synthetic biology research engine – now enhanced by an expanded ag biologics research and development platform – and help Bayer continue to expand our biologics product range to create tailored solutions for additional crops.”

This strategic shift to an exclusively external biologics research discovery pipeline with leading partners will activate the international open innovation ecosystem and equip Bayer to better leverage its proven capability in commercialising biologicals to create category-leading products that meet the growing need for climate-smart and sustainable options that complement traditional chemistries.

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial