DuPont to Expand Agricultural Research Program
The expansion plan includes new soybean research laboratories, tissue culture facilities, environmentally controlled growth rooms and greenhouses, which not only benefit soybean R&D efforts but also extend research resources for other core crops.
2/21/2011 --- DuPont and Delaware Governor Jack Markell announced that DuPont plans to invest more than $50 million over five years to expand its biotech soybean research and development program in Delaware. The proposed investment supports DuPont’s strategy to increase food productivity for a growing global population.
“This plan includes a significant expansion of our overall biotech research effort,” said John Bedbrook, vice president – DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology. “It would increase the speed at which we can bring new products to the market and help farmers around the world increase yields through tolerance to environmental stresses, insects and disease.”
The proposed investment will include expanding biotech research facilities at DuPont’s global research and development headquarters, the Experimental Station, in Wilmington and at its Stine Haskell Research Center in Newark, Del. The proposed expansion is expected to create 75 new, full-time positions in Delaware by the end of 2015.
The expansion plan includes new soybean research laboratories, tissue culture facilities, environmentally controlled growth rooms and greenhouses, which not only benefit soybean R&D efforts but also extend research resources for other core crops.
“For generations, DuPont has helped shape our state's reputation as a cradle of innovation. Their investment will help expand both that reputation and, more importantly, their work force," said Delaware Governor Jack Markell.
The Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) has offered a $1.5 million grant from the Delaware Strategic Fund to create jobs and to assist with the development of the new center. The funding is performance based and conditioned on DuPont’s capital investment in the project. The offer will be reviewed by the Council on Development Finance on Feb. 28. An additional $125,000 grant will be awarded from the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA).
These plans are part of DuPont’s overall commitment to feeding a growing global population by delivering advanced seed genetics to improve productivity, crop protection products to help guard crop yield and quality, innovative packaging that protects food quality and testing systems to ensure food safety.
DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred is a leader in providing high-yielding soybean products to growers in the United States and Brazil. Pioneer has 25 research locations worldwide testing and developing quality soybean varieties for use in food, feed, fuel and materials.
