Innovation

The world is changing. The human population is growing. Temperatures and weather patterns are shifting. In order to provide nutritious food that tastes great and contributes to a sustainable future, agriculture must adapt. That’s why innovation is at the heart of our business.

Focus areas

Using our “Integrated Breeding” approach, our Innovation expands beyond Research to incorporate colleagues from across our company as well as visionaries on the future, partners in the value chain, and collaborators throughout industry and academia.

Not only is the world changing, it is changing fast. We focus on five areas in order to change with it.

The Future

We dedicate resources to understand the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Breeding Solutions

We create breeding solutions that tackle our partners’ upcoming challenges, create opportunity for new uses and markets, and satisfy customers’ demands.

Customer Solutions

We go beyond genetics to work with partners along the value chain to develop outstanding customer solutions.

Digitalization

We see the power of good data and utilize it to make better decisions faster, advise our partners on best growing practices, and develop new ways of farming.

Collaboration

We cannot solve these problems alone and know that collaboration is the best way to accelerate innovations that benefit customers, industry, and planet.

Tackling the Tough Questions...

Do you have questions about breeding techniques, IP, and the future of farming? Let's take a closer look!

What types of breeding techniques do you use and what does the future hold for new techniques?

We understand that every crop is unique, as well as the market it serves, and the methods in which it is grown... and these factors are constantly evolving. That's why we are constantly striving not only to have great varieties, but to create varieites that will answer the challenges of tomorrow. Of course our breeding process still centers around careful crossing and selection and many of our tools, such as molecular genotyping, digital phenotyping, and more revolve around refining and expediting the best selections. However, in addition to improving current methods, we must also consider the possibilities of new methods, which could change how plant breeding is achieved in the future.

Want to know more? Read on for a closer look...

Are there GM vegetable seeds in the market?

While there are some limited examples of GMO fruit or vegetable varieties in some markets, BASF's vegetable seeds, which are marketed under the Nunhems® brand, are non-GMO.

Is gene editing used to develop Nunhems® seeds? Will BASF consider using CRISPR? Is CRISPR being used for ex-European markets?

Gene-editing is not used to develop vegetable seeds marketed under the Nunhems® brand even in countries where the regulatory framework allows it. Gene-editing is widely used within academic research collaborations but not in the development of commercial products. At BASF, we recognize the following:

In order to meet today’s challenges, we need a variety of tools and solutions. This also includes new plant breeding techniques, including genome editing.
At BASF, we apply all recognized scientific methods, including genetic engineering and selective genome editing.
Genome editing tools represent the next step in biotechnology innovation. The BASF research platforms, apply and explore optimization of conventional breeding and biotechnology methods, also using advanced tools for genome editing such as CRISPR.
Genome editing tools provide multiple options for innovative solutions to gain knowledge and improve organisms with both agricultural and industrial applications.

However, while we are participating in research related to gene-editing, BASF's vegetable seeds business is not marketing any products generated using new plant breeding techniques like genome editing.

Where does BASF use plant breeding techniques such as genome editing?

At BASF Agricultural Solutions, we apply all recognized scientific methods in our research and development activities, including genetic engineering or genome editing, at our research sites Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States, as well as in Limburgerhof, Germany, and the BASF Innovation Center in Ghent, Belgium.

What do seed companies patent and why?

Every year BASF invests many millions of Euros in research and development (R&D). Patents on plant-based innovations help to maintain an incentive for investments in innovation and foster technology development and transfer, allowing a broader diversity in plants to be developed to meet various agricultural demands today and in the future.

Such investment would be impossible if there was no return. That is why patents are important to guarantee the progress of research. That said, it is important to remember, that these investments are made without knowing whether there will be a return at all. Patents offer limited protection for up to 20 years and are confined to certain jurisdictions. They are the primary reason for companies to publish the results of their research results as a patent application. The publication of patent applications ensures that research results are publicly available for all universities, start-ups and other competitors (large and small). They can be used as a source of inspiration and breeding ground for further innovation. This ensures more efficient development with an increasing speed of innovation.

If patens and intellectual property rights were not available, companies would keep their research efforts secret, leading to inefficient simultaneous development and waisted resources leaving small companies and startups at a disadvantage. Patents help small and medium sized enterprises to contribute to technology development and extend market success through licensing.

In addition, BASF is a member of the International Licensing Platform (www.ilp-vegetable.org) under which we are committed to grant licenses to any fellow members in respect of all our trait-patents. The ILP establishes a limited breeder’s exemption for all members to breed with varieties protected by utility patents and the ILP is open to all seed companies willing to participate. BASF is also transparent about varieties which contain a patented trait, so that others can approach us for license requests if they see benefits in the trait. When varieties with a patented trait are commercialized, these are entered into the database PINTO (Patent Information and Transparency On-line), which anyone can consult.