October 4, 2007

BASF Plant Science taps Korean crop technology

 

Press release

 

 

BASF Plant Science signed a cooperation and licensing agreement with Crop Functional Genomics Center (CFGC), the leading Korean consortium for crop research, Thursday (October 4, 2007) in Seoul, South Korea.

 

The agreement includes the discoveries by 200 top researchers from 40 renowned research institutes over 10 years.

 

The deal focuses on plant traits which can increase yield and improve stress tolerance in major crops such as rice and corn.

 

CFGC will contribute discovery work with genes that have shown "proof of concept" (proven practical results), while BASF Plant Science will be responsible for the further analysis and development of the genes.

 

CFGC will grant BASF Plant Science exclusive licensing rights in important staple crops like rice and corn outside of South Korea, while CFGC will maintain all licensing rights within the Republic of Korea.

 

Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

 

Calling the agreement a "win-win situation", Dr. Martin Brudermuller, member of BASF's Board of Executive Directors, said CFGC has found exciting genes in important crops while BASF Plant Science has the platform and network to analyse and commercialise final products.

 

"Thanks to the support of the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology and its firm belief in plant biotechnology, our researchers have been able to identify 2 highly interesting genes," he said.

 

"Today's announcement is evidence for the impressive achievements of Korean biotechnology research," said Professor Yang Do Choi, Director of CFGC.

 

"BASF has an unmatched discovery and development platform that enables us to acquire a deep insight into how our genes are linked to the entire metabolic profiles of a plant and, at a later stage, incorporate the genes in crops that will be brought to market," he said.

 

At BASF Plant Science's technology platform, CFGC genes will be systematically validated in a unique high-throughput screening system that looks at different parameters for agricultural performance. These include number and size of seeds, biomass and density of roots.

 

The genes will also be analyzed for their metabolic profiling; i.e. the genes' functions and interdependency will be identified.

 

Dr. Brudermuller added that South Korea is one of many Asian countries that acknowledge the importance of plant biotechnology in the 21st century and is committed to building world-class competencies in the field.

 

"BASF Plant Science recognizes the high quality of work carried out by research institutes in Asia- Pacific and has entered into a number of cooperative ventures, including a high yield wheat project with Australian Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPBCRC)," he said.

 

South Korea's Crop Functional Genomics Center (CFGC) is part of a programme by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Korea to develop competitiveness in science and technology and focuses on the functional genomic study for crop improvement.

 

CFGC is a virtual institution supporting research projects that are carried out in universities, research institutes and industries in Korea, with about 250 PhD scientists working on the programme.

 

BASF Plant Science was founded in 1998 and coordinates a research and development platform in Europe and North America.

 

It has over 700 employees working to optimise crops for the following sectors:more efficient agriculture, renewable raw materials for specialty products and healthier nutrition for humans and animals.

 

The company aims to develop plants with improved agronomic characteristics, a higher content of vitamins or omega- 3 fatty acids for preventing cardiovascular diseases as well as plants with a higher nutritional value for animals.