Bayer commits to opening space in Purdue University’s Discovery Park District to apply interdisciplinary approach to build solutions, source innovation

Purdue has announced that Bayer, a global life sciences company, intends to open Bayer at Convergence in Purdue’s Discovery Park District. (Oren Darling/Purdue Research Foundation image Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University announced Thursday (June 18) that Bayer, a global life sciences company, intends to open Bayer at Convergence in Purdue’s Discovery Park District.

When fully staffed, the Bayer space in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration will employ students who will enhance and augment a robust agricultural innovation portfolio with additional enabling capabilities like information technology, data science and engineering. Students will focus on cutting-edge, real-world and social scientific challenges in areas like advanced analytics, operations research, phenomics, genomics, plant science and precision breeding technologies.

The Bayer space will employ students who are studying various disciplines including agriculture, electrical engineering, user experience design, mechanical engineering, software engineering and imaging sensor science.

Bayer at Convergence will use digital tools and data to drive agricultural innovations, which can increase the efficiency and reduce the amount of water, land, and energy necessary to meet the world’s food, fuel and fiber needs.

“As a life science company, we strive to live up to our vision ‘Health for all, Hunger for none.’ Through agricultural innovations, we can help provide farmers improved tools and solutions to sustain our growing world,” said Mike Graham, head of Bayer’s Breeding, Crop Science Division. “We are excited to become members of the Purdue University campus and enhance our efforts in agricultural innovation.”

With the new space, Bayer intends to partner with Purdue faculty and researchers from across campus, representing different colleges and multiple disciplines. It is focused on fostering a collaborative, entrepreneurial and solution-based framework where students will engage with innovative projects designed to enable novel innovation in crop sciences and agriculture.

Bayer has recently named Susana Diaz, a Purdue alumna, to lead the new Bayer at Convergence space. As current circumstances permit, Bayer plans to open the new space in the next several months.

The $1 billion-plus Discovery Park District is a Purdue Research Foundation entity adjacent to the Purdue University campus and is a transformational center of innovation.

“Bayer’s interdisciplinary approach is what we envisioned for the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration,” said David Broecker, chief innovation and collaboration officer for the Purdue Research Foundation. “This type of partnership fuels innovation for Purdue students, faculty, staff and our industry partners.”

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About Discovery Park District

The Discovery Park District is a 400-acre, $1 billion-plus purpose-driven community on the western edge of campus that will include laboratories, advanced manufacturing facilities, offices, retail shops, restaurants, housing, green space, trails and an airport with a 7,000-foot runway. The district, which is a designated opportunity zone, houses the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration, a facility designed to serve as a “front door” to companies that seek to collaborate with Purdue. Companies interested in locating in the Discovery Park District or Convergence Center should contact David Broecker, the foundation’s chief innovation and collaboration officer, at dabroecker@prf.org.

Purdue Research Foundation contact: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org