Syngenta is inviting the international research community to collaborate on new agricultural technologies. In this context, the Basel-based agricultural company is offering the chance for researchers to secure the rights to some of its technologies based on the CRISPR-Cas12a gene scissors as well as breeding technologies. To this end, it is using its collaborative innovation platform Shoots by Syngenta.

With the CRISPR-Cas12a gene scissors, certain aspects of the genetic makeup of plants can be modified in a way that ensures diseases can be eliminated and specific positive properties are enhanced. “The power of CRISPR technology has incredible potential to enable crop innovation to deliver value to farmers”, comments Gusui Wu, Head of Global Seeds Research at Syngenta, in a press release issued by the company.

Partnerships drive innovations

Syngenta launched the Shoots by Syngenta platform in 2023. This is intended to facilitate new partnerships and, through these, drive innovations in the agricultural space. To license the technologies, Syngenta put in place a “simple, streamlined process”, as it explains in the press release. The technologies available are listed in an online catalog on the Shoots by Syngenta website.

According to the press release, Syngenta has a long and committed track record of collaborating with external research institutions. It was in this way that the company’s vegetable licensing platform was created, which enables breeding companies and academic institutes to access Syngenta germplasm for use in their breeding activities.