Kebotix, Bayer collaborate to speed delivery of agricultural innovations, crop protection solutions to farmers worldwide

Arming farmers with innovative crop protection tools powered by a faster data-driven system is the focus of a new collaboration between technology platform company Kebotix and Bayer.

The partnership announcement comes at a time when farmers worldwide are losing as much as 50 percent of their crops when fields are left unprotected against weeds, insects and diseases.

Cambridge, Mass.-based Kebotix uses artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and robotics to accelerate the discovery of new chemicals. Those discoveries can then be used by researchers within Bayer’s Crop Science R&D program to advance new crop protection solutions.

“Early phase projects often have unexplored chemistry which requires a lot of time to find its best or most effective use,” said Dr. Jill S. Becker, Kebotix CEO and founder. “Our AI tools not only optimize chemical reactions, but discover paths to higher yields, positively affecting the bottom line in direct and multiple ways.”

Bayer scientists consistently challenge themselves to discover new generations of crop protection substances that meet the expectations of farmers and society. The accelerated synthesis, through work with Kebotix, will allow them to gain speed and precision via Kebotix’s innovative technology and harness the immense potential of AI.

“AI-augmented automated infrastructures have the potential to provide us with a totally new scale of support to unlock challenging chemistries,” said David Bernier, Science Fellow, Bayer Crop Science, R&D Disease Control Chemistry. “We believe this support will enable our chemists to deliver faster innovative solutions to serve agriculture. The visionary team at Kebotix supports us in turning this aspiration into a reality. We feel confident having them on our side along this journey.”

Kebotix scientists will join other industry leaders to discuss Bayer’s open innovation strategy and the importance of recent collaborations with innovative startups at AgConnect  – April 21 – AI Meets Agricultural Research. The free virtual discussion will focus on how AI is working to bring affordable, high-quality and safe innovative products faster to the farm for the benefit of growers everywhere.

About Kebotix

Kebotix partners with the private and public sector in harnessing the power of its breakthrough platform that combines artificial intelligence and robotic automation to discover chemicals and materials significantly faster and more affordably. Kebotix is backed by a growing, talented and dedicated team led by world-class scientists and serial entrepreneurs – plus the world’s first self-driving lab for materials discovery – to develop AI/machine learning roadmaps and define problems and solution properties for its partners and solve the world’s most urgent problems for everyone else. Kebotix provides its partners technology access to its digital R&D solutions – including ChemOSTM – and complete end-to-end materials innovation programs to stay ahead of competition in the digital revolution. For more information, visit www.kebotix.com.