Bayer CropScience has announced that its vegetable seed business, Nunhems, is to invest some €12m in expanding and modernising its research centre in the municipality of Leudal in the Netherlands.
According to the group, the existing research facility will be enlarged from 2,200m2 to a total size of 6,400m2, and will be equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories for Nunhems Biotech Services such as DNA analysis, seed technology, cell biology and molecular breeding.
'By upgrading our research facilities, we will be in an even better position to develop innovative vegetable seed varieties with good yields, disease resistance and excellent quality,' said Dr Joachim Schneider, head of bioscience at Bayer CropScience.
Research centres are designed to provide services to the company's breeding programmes across the world, allowing Nunhems' breeders to address priority traits faster and more efficiently, the group notes.
'Technology is moving fast and has become a competitive component in vegetable breeding,' said Dr John Peleman, Nunhems' managing director of research and development.
The extended and modernised research facilities will be fully operational by the end of 2011, Nunhems stated.
