CHICAGO, April 29, 2008 -- Syngenta, a global agribusiness company with a biotechnology research facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C., was honored today as the recipient of the third annual Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Award given by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the Biofuels Center of North Carolina.
Representatives of the Biotechnology Center announced the selection during a breakfast meeting at the four-day World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing in Chicago.
The award honors outstanding technical achievement, business leadership, the translation of new technologies into commercial products, support for education, and community service.
This year the Biotechnology Center partnered with the Biofuels Center in giving the award to a firm making significant contributions to biofuels development and production.
Syngenta was chosen from among 10 nominees by a committee that included representatives from the Biotechnology Center, the Biofuels Center, the N.C. Department of Commerce and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The selection committee cited Syngenta's commitment to innovative biotechnology research leading to enzymes useful in developing biofuels, its support of agriculture, education and community service, and its involvement in the World Congress.
Syngenta's achievements will also be celebrated during a dinner for North Carolina attendees of the World Congress this evening, when W. Steven Burke, the Biotechnology Center's senior vice president, corporate affairs, will formally present the award to Neal Briggi, head of enzymes for Syngenta.
Syngenta invests $800 million in research and development annually and employs 21,000 people in 90 countries.
One of the focal points of that investment is the site in Research Triangle Park, where the company creates leading-edge innovations in plant biotechnology including advanced insect control and drought tolerance. The site is also the company's central location for biofuels product development.
"Syngenta's research is contributing greatly to improved plant materials for more-efficient biofuels development," said Burke. "This is particularly important to North Carolina as we pursue a commitment to produce within the state, by 2017, 10 percent of the liquid fuels that we consume."
To meet its growing need for biofuels, North Carolina is targeting improvements in non-food renewable sources - primarily from cellulose-based plant material that might include switchgrass, wood waste and specially developed sweet potatoes. Cellulosic ethanol holds the greatest potential to reduce global demand for fossil fuels. Currently the key constraints on cellulosic ethanol production are economic - the cost and volume of the enzymes that convert cellulose into components that can be refined into ethanol.
Syngenta researchers are seeking ways to improve cellulose-degrading enzymes and to produce them in plants. Syngenta Biotechnology in RTP has developed a new type of corn that is under review by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The need for more effective ways to produce cellulosic ethanol, however, has put increasing demands on agricultural biotechnology resources - from discovery to field production to regulatory affairs. Syngenta is among industry leaders addressing the challenge, the selection committee said.
Previous recipients of the Leadership Award include Novozymes, honored for its achievements in developing new enzyme technologies to reduce the cost of producing ethanol from cellulose. The Biotechnology Center also recognized Novozymes' leadership in developing important biotechnology-related educational programs in partnership with the North Carolina Community College System.
In 2007, DuPont won the award for its development of plastics made with renewable resources, such as corn, to replace petrochemicals traditionally used in the process. It was also noted for its development, with BP, of an alcohol compound fermented from sugar beets. The product is being tested in the United Kingdom as a gasoline additive with potential benefits over ethanol. The Biotechnology Center also cited DuPont for its support of educational and community volunteer leadership programs.
The Biotechnology Center, with headquarters in Research Triangle Park and five regional offices statewide, is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business, education and workforce training statewide.