BioConnect Iowa joins Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University

The Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University welcomes BioConnect Iowa as its newest partner. BioConnect Iowa will serve as a representative on the center’s industry advisory council, which provides guidance on research needs and funding priorities for the center.

Maturing soybeans in a field near Boone, Iowa. Photo by Kara Berg. 

In addition to being a member of the advisory council, Bioconnect Iowa will serve the center in a unique role leveraging their network of entrepreneurs, business strategists, marketers and technologists to help identify high value opportunities with which to partner for the benefit of soybean growers and industry.

″We are excited to welcome BioConnect Iowa as the newest partner of the Iowa Soybean Research Center. They will bring a unique, innovative and entrepreneurial perspective to the center and help us expand our reach,″ said ISRC co-director Greg Tylka.

"Collaborating with the Iowa Soybean Research Center, the Iowa Soybean Association, and industry partners is a crucial step in enhancing Iowa’s leadership in bioscience innovation. This partnership will drive bioscience research in soybeans, bolster business growth in Iowa, attract and retain talent, and support Iowa’s soybean farmers and industry," said Paul Schickler, chair of BioConnect Iowa’s Board of Directors. 

″We look forward to adding BioConnect Iowa to the ISRC Industry Advisory Council as they have a unique focus partnering with innovators and entrepreneurs, which will elevate our opportunity to translate research insights into action enhancing soybean farmers’ productivity, profitability and sustainability,″ said Christie Wiebbecke, chief officer of research and conservation for the Iowa Soybean Association and chair of the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council.

As one of the ISRC’s partners, BioConnect Iowa will also provide financial support to the center, funding which will be leveraged with soybean checkoff funds from the Iowa Soybean Association to support soybean research at the university.

The center is a formal collaboration of Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Iowa Soybean Association and industry partners. Together, representatives from ISA and industry make up the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council. BioConnect Iowa is the center’s newest industry partner, joining Ag Ingenuity Partners, Albaugh, AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Beck’s, Cornelius Seed, Corteva Agriscience, GDM, Indigo Ag, Innvictis/Simplot, Meristem Crop Performance, Merschman Seeds, Mosaic, Nutrien, Peterson Genetics, Syngenta, UPL and Valent.