Monsanto Joins NCRC Firms
Global agricultural giant Monsanto has signed a long-term lease to set up a research lab to study vegetable taste and nutrition at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.
Monsanto, which already employs some 70 R&D people in Research Triangle Park and several more at a soy-breeding research station in Mount Olive, is the 18th company to set up shop at the growing Kannapolis facility.
Monsanto had signed a five-year collaboration with Dole Foods last year, to develop vegetable varieties with consumer-focused attributes such as flavor, texture, aroma and nutrition. David Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke, and founder of the research campus, is the majority owner of Dole. Castle & Cooke is the developer of the research campus.
"The (Research Campus) holds great promise and the potential to make a significant contribution to human health, nutrition and agriculture," said Robb Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto.
"The synergy that exists at a campus like this could lead to truly innovative research and products with long-term benefits for consumers."
Monsanto's new Kannapolis endeavor is not expected to affect the collaboration it established last year with GrassRoots Biotechnology, according to Doug Eisner, GrassRoots co-founder and chief operating officer.
Eisner said he was pleased, however, to learn of the Kannapolis plan. "It's excellent to see Monsanto making a bigger commitment to North Carolina," he said.
GrassRoots is a 3-year-old Duke University spin-out that was started with help of a $25,000 loan from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The young firm has subsequently brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars of outside grants, and continues to add researchers to its downtown Durham campus.