NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Agricultural technology company Syngenta said it plans to build a new research facility adjacent to its existing campus in Research Triangle Park, NC, the firm said Friday.
Construction on the $71 million facility is scheduled to start in June and is expected to be operational by the second half of 2012.
The new building will include research labs, climate-controlled greenhouses and growth chambers.
Basel, Switzerland-based Syngenta plans to use the new facility to continue its corn and soybean studies and to expand into new crop areas such as sugar cane, cereals, rice, and vegetables. The genetics studies will involve efforts to develop traits that can enable plants to tolerate climate variability and drought, and to enhance productivity and plant performance.
"This investment demonstrates our commitment to R&D and to remain at the forefront of plant genetics research," Sandra Aruffo, Syngenta's head of Research and Development, said in a statement. "The advanced technologies that will be implemented at this new site will accelerate our R&D efforts to develop agronomic traits that will enable crops to better withstand complex environmental challenges."