Jealott’s Hill, Berkshire, United
Kingdom
August 11, 2009
 A
unique Syngenta
formulation robot has been officially launched by HRH The
Princess Royal. The princess carried out the first experiments
when she visited the company’s Jealott’s Hill R&D site in
Berkshire last week.
HRH The Princess Royal performed the first experiments with the
new $8m Syngenta R&D robot at Jealott’s Hill, capable of testing
new formulations faster and more efficiently to help create more
effective new products
The fully automated robot is a breakthrough in innovation and
speed of delivery. It will formulate and test hundreds of
potential crop protection products every day, at speeds that
scientists can only dream of with existing technology. The
system will help Syngenta scientists to be more innovative and
productive than ever before when creating new products.
The culmination of a five year project bringing together
scientists, engineers and software specialists, the robot can
make almost any liquid agrochemical formation, in small amounts,
and perform a basic series of tests to see if those formulations
are of interest for further research.
The robot, which is unique in the agricultural sector, is the
latest part of an additional $64 million (CAD) in Jealott’s Hill
- Europe’s largest agricultural research and development centre
(above).
 The
Princess spoke enthusiastically about the role played by science
in feeding the growing global population and protecting
biodiversity. “What you do here is to ensure that food is grown
safely and well and understanding the biodiversity in which it
grows. That needs a lot of skilled and talented people to ensure
that what is done here is the best that science can provide,”
she said.
Jealott’s Hill site head, Mike Bushell, added: “We were
delighted that Her Royal Highness agreed to open the new
facility. This is a major investment in crop protection
technology which will greatly speed up our development programme
to bring products to market and enhance our ability to feed a
global population that is growing at 100 million people a year.”
Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre is at the heart of
the global food supply chain; 800 people work on the site which
concentrates on herbicide development, but is also the main
chemistry discovery site for the company. Without crop
protection products, such as herbicides, 40% of the world’s food
would be lost to pests, diseases or weeds.
Syngenta invests around $1 billion on R&D globally each year.
|
Fast
facts about crop protection development |
By Ravi
Ramachandran, Manager, Product Chemistry and
Chemical Services at Syngenta Crop Protection Canada
- It typically
takes ten years and $250 million dollars to
develop a herbicide, starting from the time an
active ingredient is discovered to the time the
product is registered.
- Around 10,000
compounds are usually tested before one worth
pursuing is identified
- Part of the
crop protection development process is making
sure that the product will function well within
the Canadian climate. For example, if the
product is stored in a barn, it needs to
withstand both extreme cold and extreme heat,
which can amount to a temperature range of
nearly 70º Celsius.
- The testing
period for a new crop protection product takes
approximately three to four years. The product
must undergo stringent qualification tests in
many jurisdictions including Canada, the US, and
Europe. In Canada, the PMRA requires information
concerning the product’s effects on human
health, the environment, and its agronomic value
prior to registering it for use.
- A product can
fail at any point in the development cycle, even
just before registration after significant
investment has already been made. Because of the
huge investment in R&D required, there are few
companies that can sustain the development of
new compounds, and in recent years the number of
active ingredients has fallen. Developing new
active ingredients and modes of action is
essential to long-term sustainable agriculture.
Investments in these efforts today will enable
Canada’s agriculture industry to continue to
play an important role in satisfying the global
need for food and fuel -- now, and in the
future.
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