BASF is refocusing its plant biotechnology research portfolio and will restructure its Plant Science operations. This is part of the company’s regular portfolio review. The company intends to reduce approximately 350 positions, thereof 140 positions in North America and 180 in Europe. Currently, approximately 700 employees work in plant biotechnology R&D.
Research and field sites in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; Ames, Iowa, USA; Berlin and Limburgerhof, Germany; Ghent, Belgium; and Brazil will be kept but are planned to be reduced in size. The field testing sites in Kekaha, Hawaii, as well as the sites in India and Puerto Rico will be closed. The restructuring is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
The plant biotechnology research portfolio will focus on high potential projects in herbicide tolerance and fungal resistant soybean. The project on polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids in canola seeds will also be continued. The yield and stress collaboration agreement regarding corn and soybean with Monsanto is not affected. Discovery and early development projects in yield and stress, including corn and soybean, will be streamlined, rice yield as well as corn fungal resistance projects will be discontinued.
- BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany
