November 4, 2009

 

Monsanto opens first biotechnology research centre in China

 

Monsanto Company announced it is opening its first research centre in China, further demonstrating its commitment to forming technology collaborations in the country.

 

The Monsanto Biotechnology Research Centre in Zhongguancun, Beijing, will strengthen the company's ties with Chinese research institutions in plant biotechnology and genomics.

 

The new research centre is an extension of the company's commitment to doubling yields in its core crops by 2030 compared to a base year of 2000, while reducing the amount of inputs required per unit produced by a third. Monsanto currently invests more than US$2 million a day in research in order to meet this commitment to global agriculture.

 

The Beijing research centre will participate in early-stage bioinformatics and genomics research, and serve as a base for collaborations with Chinese scientists. Monsanto also has research centres in the US, Brazil and India.

 

"Monsanto has made a commitment to collaborate with Chinese scientists on advanced biotech and breeding technology. The establishment of the centre will give Chinese researchers access to our global research network and to our industry-leading product development pipeline," said Stephen Padgette, vice president of biotechnology for Monsanto.

 

Recently, Monsanto announced a collaboration with Huazhong Agricultural University to further gene discovery and the development of novel biotechnology traits.

 

Prof. Zhang Qifa, a leading scientist at Huazhong Agricultural University, said, "The establishment of the centre will have a key role in further strengthening our collaboration, and speeding up commercialisation and marketing of new technology."

 

China has already made many achievements in agricultural research, said John McLean, general manager of the research centre.

 

"We hope to work closely with Chinese scientists and researchers on innovation in agricultural biotechnology. Establishing a research centre in China is a good platform for exchange of information and collaboration between Monsanto and Chinese researchers," McLean said. "We already work with several research institutions and universities on novel agricultural traits. We firmly believe that technological advances will increase productivity and contribute to finding solutions to the challenges facing agriculture."