Isagro opens new research center in Italy

Isagro S.p.A. recently inaugurated its New Research Center (NRC) in Novara, Italy.

A total of 9.400 sq.m. 2.250 sq.m. of laboratories. 1.370 sq.m. of greenhouse. 750 sq.m. manufacturing plant. These are the numbers of the NRC of Isagro, situated in a historical area for the Italian Chemistry, the former Istituto Donegani’s one, which has seen coming to light many new products, with a unique innovation fervor in the industry history in Italy.
The NRC shall catalyze on the district of Novara most of the 50 million euro investments in R&D planned for the next four years. This is part of a development plan through which Isagro shall pass from today’s turnover of some 150 million to over 200 by 2018.

Such figures only partially represent an excellence, entirely Italian, in terms of Research & Development in the global market of agropharma.

The new Isagro’s Research Center is indeed a symbol of continuity of the “saper fare italiano” (Italian Know-how) with reference to chemistry and, in particular, with reference to chemistry which supports agriculture. Isagro is the direct successor first of Montecatini’s tradition and then of Montedison’s.

Isagro, which is the only Italian company running research of new molecules in such a complex industry as the agropharma one, is a “small global player”: “small” because of its relative size versus the “big players” that run innovative research of new molecules, “global” because, in consideration of the huge amount annually invested in R&D (around 10% of annual turnover), the value extraction from its inventions has to be necessarily carried out on a global scale.

Through its New Research Center, Isagro aims at representing an example and an encouragement for other companie, states Giorgio Basile, President and CEO of Isagro. “In such an important day for us we would like to convey a strong and clear message: we can remain with our head and our heart in Italy; tools and strategies to do so already exist. The Isagro case largely demonstrates it. Our approach, based on investing in research and on alliances, while maintaining the control of the company by means of innovative financial instruments like the Azioni Sviluppo (Growth Shares), could be also adopted by others. And for sure not only by chemical companies, but also by the Italian excellences operating in the fields of mechanical engineering, textile, automotive, fashion and further industries. Wherever the Italian creativity, recognized and appreciated worldwide, is alive”.