Modernization
The construction of the new greenhouse is Bayer's largest single project in Monheim in an investment program that has totaled around EUR 170 million over the past six years. Aside from new investments, key elements of the growth strategy for Crop Science include the modernization and targeted expansion of the existing research infrastructure.
Bosman Van Zaal was granted the main contractor and they installed quite some nice stuff in there. "Moving fields, rain- and UV-simulation", they sum up. "All together to find new selective insecticides to protect farmer’s crops around the world."
The greenhouse consists of 133 compartments, in which a wide variety of climate conditions can be individually replicated, such as temperature, humidity, length of day, temperature curves, and air filtration. This will allow experiments to be conducted under realistic conditions similar to those found in nature. It will be possible to conduct parallel studies on native and exotic crops using active ingredients currently in development and alternative technologies such as biological crop protection, plant breeding and beneficial-compatible combination strategies.
Ribbon-cutting for the inauguration: Adrian Percy, Head of Research and Development; Axel Trautwein, Head of Small Molecules Research; Markus Dollinger, Head of Insecticide Research; Daniel Zimmermann, Major of the City of Monheim; Project Lead Torsten Knohl and Bayer Site Manager Simone Rosche.
Monheim research site
Dr. Dirk Backhaus, head of Product Supply and member of the Executive Committee of Bayer's Crop Science Division spoke at the official opening. "The new building will help us overcome one of the fundamental challenges of our times: safeguarding the global supply of food," he said at the inauguration celebration yesterday. "This greenhouse could have been built anywhere in the world. But Germany has substantial advantages as a location: diverse, sustainable agriculture, a high level of education, and a solid knowledge base as well as being attractively situated in a dynamic European environment." As such, this investment also reflects Bayer's commitment to the innovative capacity of Europe, Germany, and specifically to the Monheim research site in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Societal support
In his speech, Backhaus stressed the need for societal support for industrial research. "We are living in times in which populism and political polarization are endangering the acceptance of modern science," said Backhaus, citing recent emotionally charged campaigns such as the one against important insecticidal substance classes like the neonicotinoids, the debate surrounding the reauthorization of glyphosate and the media response to reports on the decline in insect populations in some parts of Germany. "Insects are of huge significance to Bayer due to their important role as pollinators of many crops. Our task is to engage the public in an open and transparent dialog about the innovative solutions that we at Bayer are developing to improve the quality of human life and thus bridge the gap between producers and consumers."
"The new greenhouse will improve our ability to develop new selective insecticides," noted Dr. Markus Dollinger, head of Insecticide Research at Bayer. "We are confident that the innovative products based on the active ingredients that will be developed here will meet the urgent needs of our customers while at the same time supporting sustainable agriculture." In addition to the greenhouse, an adjacent building with 1,200 m2 of laboratory space and 870 m2 of office space will also be available for insecticide research.
The greenhouse will provide 60 employees with optimal conditions for cultivating and testing over 30 different crop species and over 40 in some cases exotic pests and beneficial organisms. The highest biosafety and hygiene standards will ensure work can be carried out on tese organisms as well as on transgenic plants and new breeds of plants.
For more information:
bayer.com
In his speech, Backhaus stressed the need for societal support for industrial research. "We are living in times in which populism and political polarization are endangering the acceptance of modern science," said Backhaus, citing recent emotionally charged campaigns such as the one against important insecticidal substance classes like the neonicotinoids, the debate surrounding the reauthorization of glyphosate and the media response to reports on the decline in insect populations in some parts of Germany. "Insects are of huge significance to Bayer due to their important role as pollinators of many crops. Our task is to engage the public in an open and transparent dialog about the innovative solutions that we at Bayer are developing to improve the quality of human life and thus bridge the gap between producers and consumers."
"The new greenhouse will improve our ability to develop new selective insecticides," noted Dr. Markus Dollinger, head of Insecticide Research at Bayer. "We are confident that the innovative products based on the active ingredients that will be developed here will meet the urgent needs of our customers while at the same time supporting sustainable agriculture." In addition to the greenhouse, an adjacent building with 1,200 m2 of laboratory space and 870 m2 of office space will also be available for insecticide research.
The greenhouse will provide 60 employees with optimal conditions for cultivating and testing over 30 different crop species and over 40 in some cases exotic pests and beneficial organisms. The highest biosafety and hygiene standards will ensure work can be carried out on tese organisms as well as on transgenic plants and new breeds of plants.
For more information:
bayer.com