The two companies will partner to transform research and commercialization of sustainable microbial products that will provide a new platform of solutions for growers around the world.
The BioAg Alliance will allow the companies to leverage employees, technologies and commercial assets in the companies’ agricultural biologicals portfolios.
The alliance is unique in the industry, bringing together Novozymes’ commercial BioAg operations and capabilities within microbial discovery, development and production with Monsanto’s microbial discovery, advanced biology, field testing and commercial capabilities.
The result will be a comprehensive research, development and commercial collaboration to help growers meet the challenge of producing more with less in a sustainable way — for the benefit of agriculture, consumers, the environment and society at large.
The agreement is subject to the approval of the relevant national antitrust authorities to the extent required. The alliance is expected to close in early 2014.
“As the world population grows at tremendous pace over the next decades, we need to significantly increase the output from our land without increasing the pressure on the environment,” says Peder Holk Nielsen, CEO of Novozymes. “The combined capabilities of Novozymes and Monsanto create an innovation powerhouse with a unique opportunity and approach to unleash the transformational opportunity in naturally derived microbial solutions in agriculture.”
“Monsanto, Novozymes and the farmer customers we serve share a need to meet growing demand in a sustainable way, and investing in the research and development of agricultural biological technologies like microbials is another step in that direction and a natural extension of our core business,” says Robb Fraley, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Monsanto.
Read more about Novozymes on their website. For more information about Monsanto, visit their website, read the company blog Beyond the Rows, or follow the business on Twitter.