Jos Bijman
LEI, the Netherlands

KWS, a German seed company, is a world market leader in sugar beet seed. The company is looking for expansion into other crops—maize and cereals—and into other regions of the world—Eastern Europe and North America. As KWS expects biotechnology to bring major benefits to its customers, it continues investing in biotechnology research and development (R&D), although it does not expect changes in public acceptance in Europe in the short term.

Key Words: Europe; innovation; plant biotechnology; seeds; strategy.