Ghent, Belgium and Ludwigshafen, Germany
February 7, 2012
- VIB and BASF Plant Science jointly develop TopYield Technology
- Largest collaboration VIB has entered in the field of plant biotechnology
- Cooperation supported by Flemish government agency IWT
The VIB Department for Plant Systems Biology at Ghent University and BASF Plant Science announced today a cooperation agreement in plant biotechnology. Together they will develop a novel technology to identify genes and gene networks that control crop yield. The project, designated TopYield, will explore and unravel the large natural variability of plant growth under different conditions, including drought stress.
VIB and BASF Plant Science at Ghent develop the TopYield Technology. In the culture dishes are genetically modified plants at different growth stages.
The TopYield project will run for several years. It involves about 20 full-time researchers of VIB at Ghent University and is the largest collaboration that has ever been entered into by VIB in the field of plant biotechnology. The BASF Plant Science activities for this project will focus on testing and validating the research results in its laboratory, greenhouse and screening facilities and will be mainly handled by the company’s research site at Ghent, Belgium.
The research project is supported financially by IWT – the Flemish government agency for innovation by science and technology. This collaboration will help strengthen both the competencies of VIB and the BASF Plant Science site at Ghent in the highly innovative research area of agricultural productivity.
“We urgently need a new revolution in agriculture. The world population is expected to increase up to 9 billion people by 2050,” said Dirk Inzé, project leader and director at the VIB Department for Plant Systems Biology at Ghent University. “With TopYield, we hope to contribute to the improvement of agricultural crops through advanced breeding and biotechnology.”
“This highly innovative and very exciting project will help us strengthen our efforts in developing first class yield traits,” said Dr. Jürgen Schweden, Senior Vice President, Research & Development, BASF Plant Science. “We see the improvement of yield as imperative for a sustainable agriculture. VIB has an outstanding research expertise in the area of plant biotechnology and is therefore an ideal partner for BASF Plant Science.”
Currently, plant scientists are able to identify single genes that have an impact on yield. With the innovative TopYield approach, BASF Plant Science and VIB aim to further develop and validate a new technology that allows researchers to understand and predict the synergistic effect of gene networks on crop characteristics such as yield or drought tolerance.
VIB is a life sciences research institute in Flanders, Belgium. With more than 1200 scientists from over 60 countries, we perform basic research into the molecular foundations of life. VIB is an excellence-based entrepreneurial institute that focuses on translating basic scientific results into pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. VIB works in close partnership with four universities − UGent, K.U.Leuven, University of Antwerp and Vrije Universiteit Brussel and is funded by the Flemish government. VIB develops and disseminates a wide range of science-based information about all aspects of biotechnology.
The Institute for the promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT) was established in 1991 by the Flemish government as a regional public institution to provide R&D and innovation support in Flanders. For this purpose, IWT has several financial tools and an annual budget of 288 million EUR (in 2007) available to support projects. In addition to direct funding, a variety of services is provided to the local industry in the field of technology transfer, partner search, information about international subsidy options, etc. IWT has also an important co-ordination mission, aiming at a strong co-operation between all organizations in Flanders, offering technological innovation services to companies. Over the years IWT has expanded into the knowledge center for R&D and innovation in Flanders.
BASF Plant Science – a BASF group company – is one of the world’s leading companies providing innovative plant biotechnology solutions for agriculture. Today, more than 840 employees are helping farmers meet the growing demand for improved agricultural productivity and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. BASF Plant Science has developed an unparalleled gene discovery platform focusing on yield and quality traits in crops such as corn, soybean and rice. Jointly with leading partners in the seed industry BASF Plant Science is commercializing its products. Current projects include higher yielding row crops, nutritionally-enhanced corn for animal feed or higher content of omega-3’s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Ertragssteigerung bei Pflanzen durch besseres Verständnis molekularer Netzwerke
- VIB und BASF Plant Science entwickeln gemeinsam TopYield Technologie
- Bislang größte Kooperation für VIB im Bereich Pflanzenbiotechnologie
- Kooperation wird von der flämischen Regierungsorganisation IWT unterstützt
Das VIB Department for Plant Systems Biology der Universität Gent und BASF Plant Science haben heute eine Kooperationsvereinbarung im Bereich Pflanzenbiotechnologie bekannt gegeben. Gemeinsam werden sie eine neue Technologie zur Identifizierung von ertragssteigernden Genen und Gen-Netzwerken entwickeln. Ziel des Projekts TopYield ist es zu erforschen, wie Pflanzen unter verschiedenen Bedingungen, wie etwa Trockenstress, wachsen.
Das Projekt wird über mehrere Jahre laufen. Seitens VIB an der Universität Gent werden etwa 20 Forscher tätig sein. Damit handelt es sich um die größte Kooperation, die VIB im Bereich Pflanzenbiotechnologie bislang eingegangen ist. Die Aktivitäten der BASF Plant Science für dieses Projekt konzentrieren sich auf die Überprüfung und Validierung der Forschungsergebnisse in ihren Labor-,
Gewächshaus- und Screeninganlagen. Sie werden hauptsächlich vom BASFForschungsstandort in Gent übernommen.
Finanziell unterstützt wird das Forschungsprojekt von IWT – der flämischen Regierungsorganisation für Innovation durch Wissenschaft und Technologie. Die Forschungsergebnisse werden die Kompetenzen von VIB und BASF Plant Science in Gent im hoch innovativen Bereich landwirtschaftlicher Produktivitätssteigerungen gleichermaßen stärken.
„Wir brauchen dringend eine neue Revolution in der Landwirtschaft. Bis 2050 wird die Weltbevölkerung auf bis zu neun Milliarden Menschen wachsen“, sagte Dirk Inzé, Projektleiter und beim VIB Geschäftsführer des Fachbereichs Plant Systems Biology der Universität Gent. „Mit TopYield wollen wir zur Verbesserung von landwirtschaftlichen Nutzpflanzen durch moderne Züchtungsmethoden und
Pflanzenbiotechnologie beitragen.“
„Dieses hoch innovative und spannende Projekt wird uns dabei helfen, die Entwicklung von erstklassigen Hochertragssorten voranzutreiben“, sagte Dr. Jürgen Schweden, Senior Vice President, Research & Development, BASF Plant Science. „Wir sehen die Steigerung von Erträgen für eine nachhaltige Landwirtschaft als unerlässlich an. VIB ist mit seiner herausragenden Forschungsexpertise im Bereich der Pflanzenbiotechnologie der ideale Partner für BASF Plant Science.“
Gegenwärtig sind Pflanzenforscher in der Lage, einzelne Gene zu identifizieren, die den Ertrag beeinflussen. Mit der innovativen Herangehensweise von TopYield zielen BASF Plant Science und VIB darauf ab, die zusammenwirkenden Effekte von Gen-Netzwerken auf Pflanzeneigenschaften wie beispielsweise Ertrag und Trockentoleranz zu verstehen und vorherzusagen.
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