BASF Plant Science and National Institute of Biological Sciences (China) enter cooperation and license agreement
- BASF Plant Science intensifies biotech cooperation activities in Asia Pacific
- Research focuses on higher yield in major crops such as corn (maize), soybeans and rice
Limburgerhof, Germany and Beijing, China – January 24, 2008 – BASF Plant Science and the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS) today announced a cooperation and licensing agreement in biotechnology. It is the first cooperation to be made by BASF Plant Science in the People’s Republic of China and focuses on increasing yield in staple crops such as corn, soybeans and rice.
“Asia is emerging as a key player in plant biotechnology and we are striving to intensify partnerships in this dynamic region. Europe, on the contrary, risks losing its competitiveness due to contradictory political decisions,” said Dr. Hans Kast, President and CEO of BASF Plant Science. In October 2007, BASF Plant Science announced another cooperation agreement with the South Korean Crop Functional Genomics Center, CFGC.
“NIBS was established in 2003 to advance the frontier of basic research in life sciences in China,” explained Professor Deng Xing Wang, plant biologist and one of two co-directors at NIBS. “We are very proud that our efforts in this area have lead to groundbreaking results in a little more than four years.”
NIBS has identified a family of genes that have shown to increase crop yield. Under the agreement, the institute will further analyze the detailed functions of the identified genes before they enter BASF Plant Science’s strong yield R&D pipeline.
“Discoveries in yield increase like those made by NIBS will help meet booming worldwide demand for food and feed,” Kast and Deng agreed. Increasing yield in staple crops is a key target of modern agricultural research. In countries such as China, rising standards of living have caused meat consumption to increase by 300 percent in the past 20 years and the demand for animal feed has risen accordingly. At the same time, factors such as urbanization are reducing the amount of arable land in Asia.
Under the agreement, BASF Plant Science obtains exclusive rights to develop and commercialize transgenic crops with the discovered genes outside China. NIBS retains the right to market crops in China.
Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed.
About BASF Plant Science
BASF – the Chemical Company – consolidated its plant biotechnology activities in BASF Plant Science in 1998. Today, about 700 employees are working to optimize crops for more efficient agriculture, renewable raw materials and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. Projects include yield increase in staple crops, higher content of Omega-3s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases, and potatoes with optimized starch composition for industrial use.
To find out more about BASF Plant Science, please visit www.basf.com/plantscience.
About the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing
The National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (NIBS, Beijing) was established to advance the frontier of basic research in the life sciences in China. Founded in 2003 as part of a strategic government initiative to further national development of science and technology, NIBS aims to become a first rate, internationally competitive research institution. Its faculty will educate future generations of life scientists and explore a new model for operating scientific institutions in China. NIBS currently has six plant biology laboratories with focus on research in the mechanisms of plant development and how plants respond to internal and environmental signals. Many of their research discoveries have direct implications to agri-biotechnology and improvement of crops.
To learn more, please visit www.nibs.ac.cn.
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