Research and Development

In 2018, we invested €679 million in research and development in the Agricultural Solutions division, representing around 11% of sales for the segment. Our well-stocked innovation pipeline comprises products with a launch date between 2018 and 2028. With a peak sales potential¹ of more than €6 billion, the pipeline includes innovations from all business areas. The expanded research and development activities in the Agricultural Solutions division range from seeds, including traits, research and breeding capacities, and solutions to protect plants against fungal diseases, insect pests and weeds, to improved soil management and plant health.

With the acquisition of the Bayer businesses in 2018, our team grew by approximately 1,600 research and development employees at 17 locations worldwide. We expanded our biotechnology activities and our research and development capabilities considerably – from advanced breeding techniques, analytics, technology platforms and trait validation to specific discovery expertise. These are closely aligned with further activities in the field of biotechnology, which remain part of BASF’s Bioscience Research unit. Research and development expenses, sales, earnings and all other data for BASF’s Bioscience Research unit are not reported in the Agricultural Solutions segment; they continue to be reported under Other.

Our combined, complementary seeds and traits research and development activities across field crops and vegetables ensure even better innovation capabilities and scale while positioning us to seize future market opportunities and increase our competitiveness. With our expanded network of research sites, new seed breeding and production facilities, we help farmers meet the growing demand for increased agricultural productivity and better nutrition. With a pioneering platform for gene identification, we have specialized in the development of plant characteristics, such as higher yield, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, drought tolerance and quality traits. Our goal is to optimize crops so that farmers can achieve greater and more secure yields. In this way, we make an important contribution to securing a better food supply for a growing world population. We also contribute to sustainable agriculture, as the cultivation of these plants significantly reduces the amount of land, water and energy required for food production.