London, United Kingdom and Sao Paulo, Brazil
21 November 2011

FuturaGene, a world leader in the enhancement of yield and sustainability of woody crops for plantation forestry, biopower and biofuel markets, will advance its technology development program in Brazil with a non-refundable grant of $1.2m from the Brazilian Government. The grant obtained by Suzano Papel e Celulose, FuturaGene’s parent company, will be fully applied to support FuturaGene’s advanced plantation forestry for bioenergy research program, which is aimed at boosting yield in woody species, principally eucalyptus, through genetic modification.

The award is from the Brazilian Government’s Science and Technology Ministry’s FINEP agency, which is responsible for selecting strategic technology programs and supporting them through subsidised credit lines and non-refundable grants. The grant was awarded for a project called “Improving the competitiveness of Brazilian eucalyptus through the development of plants genetically modified”. FuturaGene’s parent company, Suzano, will provide counterpart funding of $2.4m.

Stanley Hirsch, Chief Executive of FuturaGene, commented: “We’re delighted that the Brazilian Government has recognised the merits of our biotechnology program for improving the yield of Eucalyptus plantation forestry. This is an important external validation of our science and business model. Together with funding from Suzano this $3.6m investment will boost our bioenergy research program which is aimed at significantly increasing the yield and sustainability of energy dense plantation forests.”

FuturaGene, with facilities in Brazil, China and Israel, is a leader in plant genetic research and development for the global forestry, biopower and biofuel markets. FuturaGene develops sustainable, ecologically sound technology to meet the ever increasing demands for fiber, fuel and energy crops in the face of declining land and water resources.

FuturaGene aims to be the leading crop technology company for plantation forestry, biopower and second generation biofuel through two main technology platforms: yield and processability enhancement - driving gains in yield during crop growth and greater processability of crop, post-harvest; and yield protection to protect strategic crops from emerging threats caused by changing climate and diminishing resources and to enable marginal land usage.

Website: http://www.futuragene.com

Published: November 21, 2011