Three Hot 30 / Hot 50 companies partner with giants in agriculture, chemicals and petroleum. In California, three major tie-ups between top-ranked developing bioeconomy darlings and old-line giants were the buzz on the second day of BIO’s annual Pac-Rim event in San Diego. Just after word about Sapphire Energy and Philipps 66’s tie-up was announced, […]
How and why a foundational technology led to Sapphire, then spun out again and led to Triton, and attracted investment from Heliae. It seems a long time ago now that, out of Dr. Steve Mayfield’s lab at Scripps and later at the University of California at San Diego, a series of discoveries made it possible, […]
In Missouri, Monsanto Company has pledged an additional $3 million to support academic research on corn rootworm. With this funding, the Corn Rootworm Knowledge Research Program, which started in early 2013, extends the program to 2016. The program provides merit-based awards of up to $250,000 per year (for up to three years) for outstanding research […]
In Missouri, Monsanto announced a new three-year share repurchase program and declared a quarterly dividend. Monsanto’s board authorized a new share repurchase program, effective July 1, for up to $2 billion of the company’s common stock over a three-year period. The new program will commence at the completion of Monsanto’s existing $1 billion share repurchase program, […]
Monsanto IP protection case. In Washington, in a unanimous ruling delivered today, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed its support for protecting U.S. innovations – in this case, ruling that an Indiana farmer had to pay a fee to Monsanto to use its genetically modified soybeans to make new seeds. Writing the unanimous decision, Justice Elena […]
In Missouri, Monsanto announced plans to bring together its St. Louis-based industry-leading research and development team on one campus when it completes a more than $400 million expansion at its Chesterfield Village Research Center. The company plans to begin work this summer and expects to add 675 jobs across St. Louis County over the next […]
In Washington, Monsanto’s seed patent will appear before the Supreme Court tomorrow. The case addresses the ownership of seeds under patents, particularly whether the seed from the company’s Roundup Ready soybeans can be legally replanted— the financial implications on farmers and the biotech industry alike could be enormous. Said Cathy Enright, a representative from BIO, […]
In Missouri, Monsanto is acquiring the activities of Israeli crop bioengineering company Rosetta Green for $35 million. The employees will all be offered continued employment with Monsanto but Rosetta Green will be left without corporate activities and will be an empty shell company in Tel Aviv. The company’s core technology centers on MicroRNAs, which are short RNA […]
In Missouri, Monsanto announced they have purchased select assets of Agradis , a privately held company focused on developing sustainable agricultural solutions. Monsanto’s purchase includes the Agradis name and its collection of microbes that can improve crop productivity. Monsanto has also acquired the company’s R&D site in La Jolla, California. Monsanto also announced an agricultural […]
In Kansas, Monsanto and Biosynthetic Technologies announced license and supply agreements that expand the market opportunity for Vistive Gold soybean growers. This arrangement also includes an equity investment by Monsanto in Biosynthetic. Biosynthetic Technologies, in collaboration with USDA scientists, has developed an entirely new class of bio-based synthetic oils that match or exceed the performance […]
