Bayer CropScience announces scholarship for training in European Plant Breeding Academy with University of California

Monheim, – Bayer CropScience awards a full scholarship including tuition and travel costs for participation in the 2011 European Plant Breeding AcademySM. The Academy offers a maximum of 20 participants a professional development course in advanced plant breeding designed and managed by the Seed Biotechnology Center at University of California, Davis, California (UC Davis). At the end of the two-year course, participants will have the skills and know-how to start a career as a professional plant breeder in the seed industry.

For Bayer CropScience, this scholarship recognizes the importance of plant breeding excellence and the increasing demand for skilled experts especially in Europe.
“Bayer CropScience is proud to support the UC Davis European Plant Breeding Academy,” said Mike Gilbert, Global Head of Breeding & Trait Development at Bayer CropScience. “As we grow and sustain our successful global seeds and traits business, we rely on teams of highly competent plant breeders who can understand and can optimize all of the modern plant breeding tools available. We also appreciate a healthy source of skills and knowledge in the science of plant breeding and are pleased to contribute to opportunities such as these,” explained Gilbert.

“We recognize Bayer CropScience as a leading and credible partner in the plant science industry which is important for UC Davis in the development and delivery of the highest quality professional development,” said Dr. Kent Bradford, Director of the Seed Biotechnology Center at the UC Davis. “We are especially delighted that Bayer CropScience is offering this scholarship to help ensure advanced plant breeding skills are more widely realized especially in European growth markets.”

The European Plant Breeding Academy relies on combined industry efforts from key partners in each country hosting a module including FlandersBio (Belgium), the European Seed Association (Belgium), Vegepolys (France), Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (Germany), the German Plant Breeders Association, Seed Valley and Naktuinbouw in The Netherlands, Center for Research in Agricutural Genomics in Spain and the Spanish Plant Breeders Association. The first Academy program was offered in 2006 and has since attracted 66 participants from 17 countries and over 40 organizations. It involves six one week intensive modules over a two year period. The 2011/12 program commences in October 2011 with modules to take place in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and the USA.

More information about the European Plant Breeding Academy and the Bayer CropScience Scholarship are available at www.pba.ucdavis.edu.

About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 6.830 billion (2010), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and traits. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of 20,700 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.

About University of California, Davis – European Plant Breeding Academy
The UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy is a postgraduate program that teaches the fundamentals of plant breeding, genetics and statistics through lectures, discussion, and field trips to public and private breeding programs. Employers appreciate the opportunity to provide their valued employees advanced training without disrupting their full-time employment. Participants attend six 6-day sessions in five countries. The instructors are internationally recognized experts in plant breeding and seed technology. More information: www.pba.ucdavis.edu/

SM - service mark application pending

Find more information at www.bayercropscience.com.



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