Bayer signs agreement with Federal University of Viçosa on tropical agriculture research

In order to improve tropical agriculture and advance the frontiers of knowledge, Bayer signed a landmark agreement with the Brazilian Federal University of Viçosa (UFV-MG). The objective is for the entities to collaborate in studies to leverage Brazilian productivity, relying on the experience of researchers from UFV and Bayer, with the technical and financial support of Bayer's Center of Expertise in Tropical Agriculture (CEAT).
 

"It is the first partnership of this magnitude between a private agrochemical company and a Federal University, which together are focusing on a conglomerate of tropical agriculture studies in a long-term agreement, mainly focused on crop protection, seeds and digital technologies, "says Dirceu Ferreira Júnior, director of CEAT.
 

After the signing of the Agreement, Bayer appreciated 70 projects developed in different departments of the UFV, 12 of which were selected for a more detailed analysis at a meeting held at the University. In the next step, the company will evaluate the possibility of putting the projects into practice, identifying areas of Bayer that will need to be activated to make the partnership viable and the need for financial support.
 

According to Prof. Sérgio Brommonschenkel from UFV, the coordinator of the partnership, the signed cooperation agreement is a formalization of joint interest in the search for solutions to protect tropical crops and a detailed relationship guidelines between the two institutions that will facilitate the implementation of specific partnership projects.
 

"In Brazil, the public-private partnership is little explored and this union of expertise will accelerate the transformation of knowledge in technological innovations that contribute to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness," says Brommonchenkel. The framework agreement, already signed by the parties, should come into effect from 2018 and may contemplate different Brazilian cultures and regions.