BASF inaugurates new facility for plant biotechnology research in Belgium

BASF has opened a new facility in the Ghent region, one of the leading centres for European plant biotechnology research. BASF’s subsidiary CropDesign has moved into a new wing of the Bio-Accelerator building in Technologiepark Ghent. The facility comprises 4,000 square meters for labs and offices and a state-of-the-art rooftop greenhouse.
 
“BASF benefits from the close proximity to excellent world renowned institutions like VIB – the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology. The move helps strengthen our research collaborations with local partners and demonstrates BASF’s commitment to modern agricultural solutions,” said Peter Eckes, President of BASF Plant Science.
 
ALSO READ: Indian agrochemicals market to reach $6.8 bn by FY17: Tata Strategic Management Group

The new facility in the recently constructed wing two of the Bio-Accelerator building includes four floors with labs and offices, one technical floor plus a rooftop greenhouse of 600 square meters for rice research and product development. Altogether the new facility comprises 4,000 square meters.
 
“Since the acquisition by BASF in 2006, CropDesign has doubled its workforce and outgrown its facility. Now, we have more space for interaction between scientists and for testing our new technologies. With our technology platform TraitMill, we test more than 140,000 rice plants per year and identify yield enhancing traits for our global projects,” said Wim van Camp, Managing Director of CropDesign.