Monsanto To Join North Carolina, US Research Campus

Posted by Matt Hopkins|28 January 2010

ST. LOUIS, Missouri and KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina, US — Monsanto Company plans to become a part of the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC), a one-of-a-kind facility under development in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and a strategic alliance with the David H. Murdock Research Institute (DHMRI). Envisioned and founded by David H. Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke Inc., and majority owner of Dole Foods Company, Inc., the NCRC brings together academia and industry, and fosters collaborative research in nutrition, agriculture and biotechnology to accelerate the development of foods with enhanced flavor and greater nutritive value. Last year Monsanto announced a five-year collaboration with Dole to develop vegetable varieties with consumer-focused attributes such as flavor, texture, aroma and nutrition.

Monsanto has signed a long-term lease to establish research facilities focused on the taste and nutritional composition of vegetables, and enhanced nutrition in food-focused row crops such as soybeans. Monsanto will be a flagship corporate tenant at NCRC’s 350-acre life science campus. Previously announced tenants of NCRC include the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Duke University, Appalachian State University, and Dole Foods R&D Group.

“I commend David for his vision in pulling together such diverse institutions that are leaders in their fields,” said Robb Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto. “The research center holds great promise and the potential to make a significant contribution to human health, nutrition and agriculture. The synergy that exists at a campus like this could lead to truly innovative research and products with long-term benefits for consumers.”

Said Murdock: “I look forward to great collaboration and scientific breakthroughs between Monsanto and our other academic and industry partners on the campus.”