Jun 2, 2021
Researchers of crop protection selected as Bayer 2021 Grants4Ag awardees

Twenty-four proposals, designed to accelerate precision agriculture, reduce chemicals to enhance soil health or fight pests to preserve biodiversity, make up this year’s Bayer Grants4Ag winners.
The successful researchers will receive grants (ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 euros) to fund their projects. Bayer will also pair each winner with one of the company’s own scientists to provide guidance on each project as it progresses.

“I was thrilled to have my project chosen!” said microbiologist Vanessa Nessner Kavamura. “As a postdoc scientist, it’s not often that we get to develop our own project, making this a great opportunity to develop my research ideas. Bayer offers a lot of support from its experienced team, and I hope I have some exciting results which could lead to additional future collaborations.”

Proposals like Kavamura’s, on fighting fungal disease in wheat with microbes, centered around solutions aimed at helping farmers around the world protect their crops. For those researchers selected, Bayer Grants4Ag provides both financial support and scientific guidance to develop their ideas to advance agriculture. For Bayer, those grants could end up as an investment in a larger, longer-term collaborations with the scientist.

“Ideas from this year’s winners represent all research and development areas in crop science,” says Phil Taylor, Open Innovation Lead for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “We love the idea that, given support, these research proposals could develop into the next advancement that helps farmers.”

In partnership with Halo, a partnering platform for scientific innovation, Bayer received more than 600 proposals from 39 countries around the world during a five-week submission window this past fall. Bayer Grants4Ag awardees retain all intellectual property rights to their projects.

2021 Grant4Ag Awardees

 Addie Thompson – Michigan State University
 Ana Laura Torres Huerta – Monterey Institute of Technology
 Bryan Berger – University of Virginia
 Eduardo Rodriguez – Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Rosario
 Elizabeth Skellam – University of North Texas
 Enrico Bonello – Ohio State University
 Haoyu Niu – University of California, Merced
 Ian Henderson – University of Cambridge
 Ingrid Span – Heinrich Heine University
 Jishnu Bhatt – Penn State University
 Maria DeRose – Carleton University
 Megan Rúa – Wright State University
 Ming-Zhi Zhang – Nanjing Agricultural University
 Sigfredo Fuentes – The University of Melbourne
 Sivam Krish – GoMicro
 Vanessa Nessner Kavamura – Rothamsted Research
 Yinghui Mu – South China Agricultural University
 Yulia Poroshenko – Agrohub
 Yi-Zhen Deng – South China Agricultural University
 Yongle Li – University of Adelaide – Waite Campus
 Yuxi Zhang – Monash University
 Zihau Zhou – China Agricultural University

Learn more about the 2021 Grants4Ag awardees and their research.

Halo is a partnering platform where companies and scientists join forces to bring new innovations to market. Through a simple, streamlined RFP process, companies can quickly review proposals with their team, learn about new technologies and cultivate relationships with the scientists behind them.

For more passive scouting and brand building, companies can highlight existing research partnerships and technology interests on their innovation page. Since launching in January 2020, PhD scientists and startups across 65 countries and 6 continents have submitted more than a thousand proposals on Halo. To learn more, visit halo.science/sponsors.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population.

Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros.

For more information, go to www.bayer.com.




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