Syngenta Building Chinese Biotech Center
22 April 2008 Syngenta announced its plans to build a new biotechnology research and technology center in Beijing, China, the company said in a release. The center will focus on early-stage evaluation of genetically modified (GM) and native traits for key crops such as corn and soybeans in the areas of yield improvement, drought resistance, disease control, and biomass conversion for biofuels. The new facility will have a global scope and will complement Syngenta’s biotech research activities in the US. The investment will be approximately US $65 million in the first five years.
“China is increasingly recognized for the scale and caliber of its biotech expertise in agriculture,” says Dave Lawrence, Head of R&D and a member of Syngenta’s Executive Committee. “Having our own research base in Beijing will accelerate innovation and offer powerful opportunities to work more closely with Chinese research institutes, which is all the more relevant now in a world that sees higher global demand for crops.”
The new center, Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd., will be built at Zhongguancun Life Science Park in Beijing. Until the new facilities are completed in 2010, adjacent temporary facilities will enable operations to commence beginning in the summer of 2008. The biotech center will initially employ approximately 100 researchers and staff, increasing to around 200 when the new building is opened in 2010.
Syngenta is expanding its partnerships to contribute to further growth in Chinese agriculture with seeds and crop protection products. Earlier this month, Syngenta completed a share transaction with the Chinese corn seed company Sanbei Seed Co. Ltd. in Hebei, in which it has taken a 49% stake. Last year, Syngenta entered into a five-year research collaboration with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) in Beijing focusing on the development of novel agronomic traits for key crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, sugarbeets, and sugarcane.
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