Purdue, Dow celebrate opening of new seed quality control lab

Purdue, Dow AgroSciences LLC, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) and greater Lafayette officials dedicated a seed testing lab in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette.

The Dow AgroSciences Seed Quality Control Lab will enable the future capacity and capabilities needed to support the growing Dow AgroSciences seeds business, as well as serve as a proving ground for its next-generation technologies. The seed lab occupies 35,000 square feet of the Innovation Center building in Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette and supports 16 full-time positions and 32 temporary jobs.

"Dow AgroSciences is committed to developing technologies that help address the challenges of feeding the world's growing population, and the move to the Purdue Research Park underscores our relationship with Purdue University while supporting our overall growth strategy," said Antonio Galindez, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. "The new seed quality lab allows us to implement additional testing technology and capabilities, and provides closer collaborations with scientists at our Indianapolis world headquarters.

Work at the new seed quality control lab includes seed germination testing, genetic purity testing and trait purity testing, with an overall goal of improving seed quality for crops.

"The important partnership among Dow AgroSciences, Purdue, West Lafayette and Indiana is exemplified in the opening of the new seed lab and in the success of Dow's other research facility and greenhouse in the Purdue Research Park," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation, which manages the Purdue Research Park. "We look forward to this expanded collaboration with Dow AgroSciences the ongoing opportunities this provides for Purdue and for the State of Indiana."

Jay Akridge, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, said Dow AgroSciences is a global leader in seed research and development.

"Dow AgroSciences is a premier company in agricultural research and development and we are fortunate to have them in Indiana and close to Purdue, Indiana's land-grant institution," he said. "We work closely on many agricultural research projects with Dow AgroSciences and have several Purdue students working as interns with Dow AgroSciences in the Purdue Research Park."

The IEDC, City of West Lafayette and the Tippecanoe County Commissioners worked with the Purdue Research Foundation to bring the Dow AgroSciences seed testing lab to Indiana.

"As a nationally recognized hub for the life sciences, this new facility will provide our state’s entrepreneurs with ground-breaking technology to foster continued growth and advancement in Indiana," said Dan Hasler, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the IEDC. "We’re grateful to have two world-class organizations like Purdue and Dow which continue to provide the framework for innovation."

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis said that the Dow AgroSciences Seed Quality Control Lab enhances to the economic diversity of the city. The city provided over $300,000 in lease and tax abatement incentives to bring the facility to the area.

"Our community works closely with the park and other economic development organizations to ensure that we continue to grow and diversify our economy," Dennis said "The dedication of the Dow AgroSciences' lab is another example of how much the West Lafayette area benefits by having the Purdue Research Park."

Tippecanoe County provided $20,000 in job training and recruitment through the training loan/grant program administered by Greater Lafayette Commerce.

"Tippecanoe County is a leader in agriculture and having a company like Dow AgroSciences in our county is important," said Tom Murtaugh, Tippecanoe County Commissioner president. "Job training grants such as this one provide a strong incentive and support the professional development of our county's workforce."

The seed testing lab will be an addition to the current Dow AgroSciences presence in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, which includes a 15,000-square-foot research and development space and an 11,000-square-foot greenhouse complex leased by Dow AgroSciences for life sciences research. To help fund the life sciences research project in 2010, the IEDC provided a $2.2 million grant to the Purdue Research Foundation to assist in the construction of the greenhouse.