Syngenta Group Cultivates Cross-Industry Collaborations for Agricultural Solutions
Syngenta Group announced important collaborations following the launch of its innovation accelerator platform Shoots by Syngenta in 2023. These collaborations, which connect expertise across industries and sectors, are aimed at making possible novel solutions to agricultural challenges more quickly and efficiently.
Two collaborations – with IBM Research and with US biotech Maxygen – brought their respective pioneering approaches in data-based predictions modelling, and in the directed evolution of proteins more commonly leveraged in the pharmaceutical industry, together with Syngenta’s world-leading agricultural research and proprietary data sets.
Gusui Wu, Global Head of Seeds Research, Syngenta commented, “Collaboration is at the heart of how our scientists approach innovation every day. It is embedded in our scientific culture, and we are continually seeking out different technologies, solutions, and partners to help us better serve farmers.”
In collaboration with IBM Research, Syngenta Group has significantly improved chemical synthesis productivity using IBM-RXN—a language model software designed for creating new molecules and materials. By combining Syngenta’s chemistry research and proprietary data with IBM’s reactivity modeling capabilities, they deliver accurate predictions for multiple related compounds, enhancing efficiency and safety in synthetic procedures.
Maxygen collaborates with Syngenta Seeds to optimize enabling technologies, maintaining consistent scientific engagement and achieving successful protein variants and novel intellectual property.
Shoots by Syngenta spotlights specific innovation needs from across the Syngenta Crop Protection and Seeds businesses. Currently, Shoots by Syngenta lists six challenges, ranging from identifying new chemical building blocks derived from biomass waste streams to developing diagnostic tools for detecting non-visible indicators of poor crop growth.
“We’re looking forward to connecting with new partners from academia, research institutes, start-ups, and cross-industry sectors, to work with our extensive global network of scientists and to push the boundaries of what is known today in science,” said Camilla Corsi, Syngenta’s Global Head of Crop Protection Research.
