Bayer CropScience and Evogene Enter a Multi-Year Collaboration for Rice Yield Improvement

23-Apr-2009 - Germany

Bayer CropScience AG and Evogene Ltd. announced a three-year collaboration focused on increasing rice productivity and yield. Pursuant to the collaboration agreement, key candidate genes discovered by Evogene for yield enhancement will be introduced into Bayer CropScience's rice R&D pipeline for the development of high yielding hybrid rice. The agreement strengthens and expands the companies' existing research and development collaboration for rice, established in 2007.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Evogene will provide Bayer CropScience with candidate genes, discovered by Evogene, that are predicted to improve yield. Evogene’s computational technology, the 'ATHLETE', will be used for the gene discovery process, and the genes will be validated by Evogene in model plants. Bayer CropScience will integrate the licensed genes into its R&D pipeline and evaluate them in rice. Bayer CropScience will be granted an exclusive commercialization license to the candidate genes for use in rice. Evogene will receive annual research payments and is entitled to development milestones and royalty payments based on sales of any resulting products.

Bayer CropScience and Evogene have been collaborating since June 2007 to increase productivity and yield in rice.

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