Villy SøgaardUniversity of Southern Denmark Bayer AG is a global pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and life sciences group. Its structure reflects important synergies based on core competencies within the field of chemistry. A number of research collaborations and joint ventures serve to expand this…

Esther Grávalos and Alejandro GarcíaIDR, Spain This paper describes the innovation strategy of Seminis, the largest producer of vegetable and fruit seeds in the world. Basic data on Seminis is provided, along with a discussion of how Seminis was created, its market…

Jos Bijman and Pierre-Benoît JolyLEI, the Netherlands & INRA, France Technological innovation in the agrochemical, biotechnology, and seeds industries, and in associated public sector research establishments (PSREs) has the potential to deliver more socially and environmentally sustainable farming systems and to improve…

Jos Bijman and Pierre-Benoît JolyLEI, the Netherlands & INRA, France The European seed and pesticide industries have gone through a period of great turmoil in the last decade of the twentieth century. Restructuring processes have been thoroughly influenced by the developments in…

Joanna ChatawayOpen University, United Kingdom Novartis was a key player in global agribusiness. Broadly, its strategy was to maintain a flexible approach in the face of changing technology and commercial environments. It aimed to combine accumulated experience and knowledge in chemicals with…

Gérald Assouline and Pierre-Benoît JolyQAP Decision & INRA, France Compared with other world agrochemical leaders, Rhône-Poulenc Agro (RPA) was characterized by a focus on its core business: crop protection. In order to reinforce its research capabilities while focusing on its core competencies,…

Jos BijmanLEI, the Netherlands Advanta, headquartered in the Netherlands, is the sixth largest seed company in the world. It sells seeds for a broad range of field crops in many different regions. While the company is committed to applying biotechnology in plant…

Pierre-Benoît JolyINRA, France Limagrain is a strange company: the first international independent seed producer, and a local cooperative. This paper investigates the relationship between this company’s identity, organizational structure, and its innovation strategies. The main objective of the company is to help…

David WieldOpen University, United Kingdom BASF has been a latecomer to agrobiotechnology. Until mid-1998, BASF continued its longstanding focus on chemicals production with massive economies of scale, in particular, but also of scope. In 2000, it announced the acquisition of the Cyanamid…

Joyce TaitUniversity of Edinburgh, United Kingdom Zeneca’s agrochemical strategies had two major strands: developing the profit potential from existing patented and off-patent chemicals where this was feasible; and major investment in discovery of new, patented products. In developing genetically modified (GM) crops,…