DENMARK, May 3, 2021 – FMC Corporation, a leading agricultural sciences company, and Technical University of Denmark (DTU), an institutional leader in biotechnology research, received a 26 million Danish kroner grant from the Danish Innovation Funds for their Smarter AgroBiological Screening
(SABS) project. The grant provides funds to improve technologies for discovering and developing microbe-based biological crop protection solutions.
FMC and the DTU Bioengineering Department seek to develop a new paradigm for screening extensive collections of microorganisms by combining automatic functional assays and characterization methods with laboratory-based evolution and artificial intelligence. The SABS project is focused on discovering and developing new biofungicides for controlling leading fungal diseases in cereals.
“FMC is honored to receive a grant from the Danish Innovation Funds and is excited to partner with the DTU Department of Bioengineering,” said Dr. Bénédicte Flambard, global director of FMC Plant Health. “As we continue to invest in and expand our biologicals portfolio, we are committed to providing growers
with innovative and sustainable technologies. By combining machine learning and data from high throughput screening and in-planta assays, we are accelerating the discovery of biological crop protection solutions.”
DTU has expertise in microbiology, genomics, metabolomics, automation, and artificial intelligence. It has a large and diverse collection of microorganisms that will be utilized for the project. FMC’s deep understanding of crop protection and extensive experience in upscaling and formulation of biological crop
protection products is critical to enhancing the lab-to-field translation of biologicals solution candidates. The two parties are combining their respective R&D capabilities to develop innovative and sustainable biofungicides that protect crops from fungal disease.
