BASF and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill enter research partnership

BASF and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announces the signing of a Master Research Agreement. It will facilitate easier collaboration between industry and academia on the journey to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and scarcity of resources.

The interdisciplinary approach will draw on the strengths of each organization to accelerate scientific discovery. By connecting its deep scientific expertise to UNC-Chapel Hill's fundamental research capabilities, initially focused on biomedical, health and pharma applications, BASF expects to find new innovations for its customers in agriculture, health and personal care.

"Teaming up with UNC-Chapel Hill, a leading global university located in close proximity to us in Research Triangle Park, NC, will not only improve the impact of our research activities, but also give us more access to technologies beyond our in-house expertise to solve societal challenges," said Peter Eckes, President, Bioscience Research and Regional Research Representative North America at BASF. "We are eager to see the results of our partnership with the Master Research Agreement in place that will enable us to collaborate more quickly across areas of common interest to drive innovation."

The Master Research Agreement containing pre-agreed terms for intellectual property, publication and confidentiality will enable open scientific discussions and speed up the process of starting collaborations. Several research projects focused on plant science are already under way.

"Our partnership with BASF is a great example of the culture of collaboration that we have fostered at Carolina," said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz. "Combining our scientific expertise and research capabilities through the Master Research Agreement will enable Carolina and BASF to solve the grand challenges of our time and produce results that will benefit the people of North Carolina, the nation and the world."