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DuPont forms research allliance with John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and
Plant Bioscience Ltd.
Wilmington, Delaware
September 14, 1998

DuPont, The John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and Plant Bioscience Ltd. announced the establishment of a research alliance designed to develop new wheat varieties and wheat products with improved agronomic, industrial, and food uses. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The intent of this alliance is to conduct strategic research that generates knowledge and intellectual property for the development of improved wheat and grain products. The John   Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory, which are located in Norwich, England, are leading international research institutes widely recognized for their contributions to the advancement of knowledge and education in agriculture, horticulture, and biotechnology. Plant Bioscience Ltd. is the independent technology management company of the two institutions committed to the identification, protection, and commercial development of research results they generate.

The research alliance with DuPont will provide the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory with access to genomics research tools developed by DuPont and with opportunities for collaborations, scientific exchanges, and training for students. The alliance will also provide significant research funding and clear routes for commercialization of developed technologies. The Wheat Alliance will be managed by a joint wheat research council composed of scientists from each of the participating parties.

For DuPont, this alliance helps to build a relationship with a world center of excellence in molecular biology, and provides a further important element of its wheat biotechnology research program. Some anticipated areas for alliance research include improved wheat grain quality offering added value to the consumer and food processor and the development of disease resistant wheat.

Earlier this year, DuPont established the DuPont Wheat Enterprise, led by Herve deTrogroff,
DuPont Agricultural Enterprise vice president. The research conducted under the collaborative alliance will be commercialized through the Wheat Enterprise, which comprises the DuPont Cereal Innovation Centre (CIC), based in Cambridge, U.K., Hybrinova, based near Paris, and the DuPont operations in Wilmington. CIC is a research and development-based organization specializing in the development and marketing of cereal-derived food ingredients for use in food manufacturing, health care, and related industries. Hybrinova, a hybrid wheat seed business, provides germplasm and wheat breeding capabilities and a patented chemical hybridizing agent for use in hybrid seed production.

"This research alliance is a significant step forward in building a knowledge-based Wheat Enterprise with the capability to develop and market added value wheat and wheat products," said William F. Kirk, president of DuPont Agricultural Enterprise. "In addition, this alliance provides DuPont with added momentum in our intent to establish a new agricultural business system that creates and provides higher value products benefiting everyone from farmers to consumers."

The John Innes Centre is an independent research centre for plant and microbial sciences. It has over 850 staff and students, trains scientists, and conducts fundamental, strategic, and applied research to understand how plants and microbes work at the molecular, cellular, and genetic levels. The JIC is grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

The Sainsbury Laboratory is an independent academic research laboratory funded primarily by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The laboratory is located at the John Innes Centre and is a leader in research into the molecular basis of plant disease resistance.

Plant Bioscience Ltd. is an independent technology interaction and intellectual property management company owned equally by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the John Innes Centre. PBL promotes the commercial development of research results to generate income to finance its operations and to support research at the institutions it serves.

Founded in 1802, DuPont is a global research and technology-based life sciences, materials, and energy company. Committed to better things for better living, DuPont serves worldwide markets including food and nutrition; health care; agriculture; fashion and apparel; home and construction; electronics; transportation and energy. The company operates in about 70 countries and has 98,000 employees. Revenues in 1997 were more than $45 billion.

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