Bayer Crop Science | Innovation Ecosystem

𝗔 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀! 🚀 🎓🌱 ✨ End of November we celebrated the completion of this year's Bayer University Mentoring Program, looking back at an eventful journey with six mentees from CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences filled with intensive one-on-one coaching, a variety of webinars, and an engaging onsite meeting at #LifeHubMonheim. Our mentees gained invaluable insights into crafting their CVs, networking effectively, and identifying their unique "6 Types of Working Genius". We are excited to continue our partnership with CEPLAS. 🔭 Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce a new collaboration with IPK Leibniz-Institut, as we recently 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 just a week ago! This initiative once more brings together Bayer mentors with engaged young scientists. 🙏 A big thank you to Juliane Schmid from CEPLAS and #BrittLeps from IPK for your support of this program. 🌟We wish all the best to our mentees of 2025 and eagerly anticipate the new journey ahead.  What was your biggest takeaway from a mentoring experience? Share your thoughts in the comments! 💬  Dr. Katrin Schullehner Agustina Esteban #B4U #BayerUniversityMentoringProgram

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 At Bayer LifeHub Bangalore, we are committed to advancing science and fostering collaboration for a sustainable future. Recently, we engaged in two impactful initiatives: 1️⃣𝗚. 𝗡. 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗻 & 𝗩. 𝗟. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗮 𝗕𝗜𝗢𝟯 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗔𝗦, 𝗚𝗞𝗩𝗞 We proudly sponsored this one-day workshop organized by the Department of Plant Biotechnology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK. The event provided an excellent platform to connect with students, faculty, and researchers, and share Bayer’s vision for future-ready agriculture.  Anik Luke Dhanaraj spoke on Bayer’s R&D efforts for future-ready agriculture, while Sikruti Dash and Pratiksha Singh highlighted innovations in sustainable rice farming through Bayer’s DirectAcres program focused on Direct Seeded Rice (DSR). The latter talk highlighted how 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗗𝗦𝗥) is revolutionizing rice farming. Traditional methods consume excessive water and labour while contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. DSR offers a science-driven solution that can:  ✔ Reduce labour by up to 𝟱𝟬% ✔ Cut water usage by ~𝟰𝟬%  ✔ Lower GHG emissions by ~𝟰𝟱%  ✔ Improve farm economics and resilience Through 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺, we aim to transition 𝟭 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟮, empowering 𝟮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 toward regenerative agriculture.    2️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 Continuing our mission to accelerate open innovation, we hosted the latest session of our Innovation Exchange series featuring Manoj Kumar Rupa, Co-Founder of Capsber Agriscience. Capsber is pioneering microbial and metabolite-based technologies to restore soil health, enhance nutrient efficiency, and reduce chemical dependency. Dr. Manoj shared insights on next-gen biologicals, peptide-based pest management, and Capsber’s innovation journey, including 27,000+ microbial strains and 10+ patented solutions. At #LifeHubBangalore, we believe that collaboration and science-driven innovation are key to shaping the future of farming. Together, let’s build a resilient, sustainable food system for generations to come. Nagabhushana Ithal, Vinny M., Janani Abhishek Mudaliar, Sushmitha Chengappa A, Veena Anil, UASB Agri Innovation Center, Gavaskar Jayakanthan, PRITI KHALKHO #DirectSeededRice #BayerDirectAcres #InnovationExchange #OpenInnovation #SustainableAgriculture  

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🌍🤝 Last week we had the immense pleasure of hosting the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC) at #LifeHubMonheim. 🤝Partnerships across our business are vital to our mission of Health for All, Hunger for None, and this visit truly showcased their significance. Our ongoing collaborations within the Greater Sacramento area – through University of California, Davis, AgStart, #LifeHubCalifornia and more – highlighted the importance of our relationship with GSEC. 🚀 New ideas and the next iteration of collaboration were sparked by our colleagues presenting our global initiatives in External and Open Innovation, Public-Private Partnerships, Regenerative Agriculture, Bayer's global engagement with smallholder farms, and Bayer Forward Farming. ✨We were genuinely honored to receive a Proclamation of Support from Tom Stallard, Mayor pro tempore of the City of Woodland, committing to the continued development of this critical relationship. A big thank you to the #TeamBayer members who contributed to the day`s success: Frank Terhorst, Raphael Dumain, Karl D Collins, Katrin Schullehner, Kai Wirtz, Daniel Glas, Christian Baden, Alberto Iandolino. We also extend our gratitude to our guests from GSEC, including Barry Broome, Simon Atkinson, Spencer Bowen, Hayden Kandul. #Innovation #RegenerativeAgriculture #ExternalInnovation

🌟 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲! 🌟 This past month has been an incredible journey for the Bayer LifeHub Bangalore team as we engaged in three significant events that highlight our commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and community engagement.  1️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝘁 𝗖-𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣  We had the honour of participating in the Pitch Day of this flagship Indo-German program by DWIH New Delhi and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), where 13 dynamic teams of researchers and founders presented solutions addressing global challenges in healthcare, energy, and infrastructure. Anik Luke Dhanaraj representing #LifeHubBangalore, joined as a jury member to evaluate pitches and select top ideas. The event showcased the power of cross-border collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork. Congratulations to the winning team, Dr Hannah Doherty and Dr Shivakumar Gowda and all the other teams for their remarkable pitches! 🎉 2️⃣ 𝗡𝗮𝗮𝗩𝗶𝗖’𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝘂𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 As part of our mission to empower agripreneurs, we attended the inaugural ceremony at NaaViC Agri-Business Incubation Centre ICAR-NIVEDI, marking the start of a one-month Entrepreneur Training Program.  Anik Luke Dhanaraj shared valuable insights on innovation frameworks and success strategies for budding founders. The event featured inspiring talks from industry leaders and set a promising tone for shaping the future of AgTech. 🌱 3️⃣ 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 (𝗦𝗚𝗕) Our team recently visited the Science Gallery Bengaluru’s vibrant space dedicated to engaging young adults at the intersection of science, art, and technology. We discussed opportunities to co-create initiatives that ignite curiosity and advocate for science and emerging technologies - an exciting step toward inspiring the next generation of innovators. At #Bayer LifeHub, we believe that collaboration is key to driving forward-thinking solutions to address the global challenges in agriculture and beyond. Our engagement in these events reinforces our commitment to supporting startups, fostering innovation, and building a sustainable future for smallholder farmers. Together, let’s continue to bridge ideas and create impactful innovations! 🚀 #OpenInnovation #AgTech #StartupEcosystem #ScienceAdvocacy #CollaborationForImpact Nagabhushana Ithal, Sushmitha Chengappa A, Janani Abhishek Mudaliar, DAAD German Academic Exchange Service, Taslimarif Saiyed, PhD, Aadishree J, ICAR NIVEDI, Harsha S M H., Jahnavi Phalkey, Harsha Jagadeesh, Gayatri Manu

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱! 🌟 📌Bayer LifeHub Bangalore was proud to participate in the 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁, India’s flagship technology event that brought together 92,500 participants, 630 speakers, and 1,015 exhibitors, including startups, innovators, and industry leaders - all eager to explore the future of technology and innovation under the theme “#Futurise.” 💡 Our very own Anik Luke Dhanaraj had the honour of serving as a panellist in the session titled “Co-Inventing the Future: How India and Germany Can Design and Engineer Products for the World.” The panel, moderated by Madhusoothanan Vijay (Indo-German Chamber of Commerce), featured esteemed speakers including Kaustubh Deshpande (SAP Fioneer), Kanchi Arora (German Consulate Bangalore), Santosh (igus India), and Ravi Sastry (Festo India). The discussion explored collaborative design, digital engineering, and cross-border innovation models that can accelerate globally competitive products. 🤝Later that evening, Anik Dhanaraj represented #LifeHubBangalore at a networking reception hosted by the German Consulate Bangalore on the occasion of the visit of Silke Launert, Parliamentary State Secretary from Germany’s Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. This event further reinforced the collaborative spirit and shared vision for innovation between Germany and India. 🌱Events like BTS reaffirm our commitment to open innovation, startup engagement, and building partnerships that empower smallholder farmers and advance sustainable agriculture. Let’s continue to drive innovation together! #TeamBayer #OpenInnovation #AgTech #IndoGermanInnovation #GlobalPartnerships #FutureOfAgriculture Bengaluru Tech Summit, IT BT Department, Karnataka, Manjula Shekar, Annett Baessler, Janani Abhishek Mudaliar, Sushmitha Chengappa A, NRW.Global Business India

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶-𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱? A 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 — working together. 🌱🤝 Innovation happens faster when the right partners connect. #Bayer and #EITFood are co-sponsoring a proof-of-concept project with FA Bio to develop fungal bioinsecticides to manage Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle in oilseed rape, one of Europe’s most persistent crop pests. This project highlights why strong ecosystems matter: 🌍 Different ideas come together. Startups, industry experts, and research groups leverage each other’s expertise to turn ideas faster into solutions that matter to the farmer. 🌱 Natural solutions need collective commitment. Microbial and regenerative tools can only advance through shared discovery, testing, and scaling across the value chain, and integration into grower's systems. 🔬 Technology advances through collaboration. FA Bio’s microbial platform becomes stronger when linked with broader scientific and operational networks, as well as input from the market leaders. 🤝 Ecosystems deliver impact. From formulation and manufacturing to integration of systems and farmer networks — progress happens when everyone works together. Growing this kind of ecosystem is key to delivering sustainable pest management tools that protect crops and support healthier soils. 🔗Read the full announcement from FA Bio: https://lnkd.in/e4gyvWMg #SustainableAgriculture #AgInnovation #teamBayer #CropProtection #OpenInnovation Benoit Hartmann, Karl D Collins, Verena Herrmann, Florian Jupe

🌍 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀: 𝗡𝗥𝗪 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 Last week, #LifeHubBangalore had the privilege of hosting a 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 NRW.Global Business 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮, 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆. The visit aimed to deepen collaboration and explore opportunities for innovation partnerships between 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗥𝗪. The delegates engaged with leaders from 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗛𝘂𝗯, 𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗜, 𝗗-𝗛𝘂𝗯, 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵, 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, gaining insights into Bayer’s R&D efforts focused on advancing sustainable agriculture, supporting smallholder farmers, and driving digital and healthcare innovation. Highlights included:  ✅ An overview of Bayer’s innovation initiatives from various teams.  ✅ Engaging discussions on AI, ML, and digital technologies shaping the future of agriculture and life sciences.  ✅ The delegates were taken on a floor walk that showcased our #DHub  initiatives, the newly established #RadiologyLab, and cutting-edge #Biotech R&D efforts in the Insect Control and Precision Genomics labs.  This interaction not only strengthened our relationship with NRW.Global Business but also opened doors for future collaborations in AgTech, research, digital innovation, and healthcare technology.  A heartfelt thank you to our Bayer colleagues for their support in making this visit impactful:  Anik Luke Dhanaraj, Nagabhushana Ithal, Srikanth Kanagal Gopinath, Pushker Ravindra, Smita Negi, Pooja Kalmotia, Ankit Srivastava, Prasanna R. Bhat, PhD, EGMP, Dr. Anand Kumar Reddy, SAMATA HEGDE, Niranjan Rao V, Janani Abhishek Mudaliar, Sushmitha Chengappa A – your support and insights truly showcased Bayer’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. #TeamBayer #Sustainability #AgTech #BRC #DHublndia #DHubBengaluru #BayerInRadiology #GlobalPartnerships BRC, Bangalore- Bayer Biotech Research Centre, Ambika Banotra, Stephan Weyers, Ken Kasischke, Tina Sturm, Jose Jacob K, Shivendra Kothandaraman, Himanshu Mandal, NRW.Global Business India

🚀 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿! The External Innovation and Partnerships team, in collaboration with the #Bayer China Vegetable Breeding team, recently hosted a dynamic session featuring Dr. Cao Xu, a leading expert in gene editing and AI in plant breeding. Over 250 participants from Bayer CS attended, marking a significant moment for scientific exchange. 🧬 Dr. Xu shared his groundbreaking research on gene editing and AI-assisted robot cross-pollination, sparking discussions on the source-sink relationship, scalability of robot-assisted pollination, and the integration of rapid breeding techniques with Genome Editing using AI-based Robots (GEAIR). The engagement among Bayer colleagues was truly inspiring! 🤖 Moderated by Dr. Songlin Hu from Seminis Seed, the session fostered a rich exchange of ideas. This initiative, part of the China Innovation Series, highlights Bayer's commitment to open innovation and collaboration. 🤝 We extend our gratitude to Dr. Xu, Dr. Hu, and all participants for their engagement in promoting open innovation. We look forward to more exciting discussions and collaborations ahead! 🙏 Songlin Hu, Cao XU, Hongyan Jin, Lina Zhao, Juliana Xu, Karl D Collins #OpenInnovation #GeneEditing #ArtificialIntelligence #ClimateSmartAgriculture #VegetableBreeding #GEAIR

Can open innovation really deliver short-term impact for the chemical industry? We explored this with our partners at INVITE GmbH and chemstars at the inaugural "Future of Process Industries" event, and given the use cases on show from Bayer | Pharmaceuticals, Bayer | Crop Science, Henkel and BASF Coatings ...it is clear the answer is yes. Working with start-ups is not necessarily a magic fix, quick win or easy path but we learned that the impact can be transformational. Some key takeaways: From Andreas Heyl: By transforming how corporates interact with startups, we can strengthen our ability to adapt in a rapidly evolving industry. From Timo Fleßner and Dr. Nik Raupp:  Being a change-seeking company means spotting signals early, testing fast and collaborating beyond your own walls. From our use cases: 💥 Introducing AI tools isn’t just a technical project. It must go hand in hand with change management to truly unlock their potential. 💥 Transparency is be key to building trust and driving adoption of start up technologies in an industrial environment 💥 Sustainability needs technical innovation and systemic alignment across regulation, production and partnerships. 📢 And finally: Systematic approaches to identifying and integrating third party technologies are essential for the corporates to bridge the value of the start-up sector to industry 📢 A big thanks to all involved and specifically to Maja Diebig-Lorenz from INVITE GmbH, Stefan Weber from chemstars, Karl D Collins from Bayer Crop Science | Innovation Ecosystem for putting this great event together with the critical support of Marcus Paul Gruen. Read more about the partnerships with IonKraft, Juna AI, akeno and Fero Labs here https://lnkd.in/eecT5TDt Photo Credits Lux Branding

📣 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗟𝘆𝗼𝗻! We are proud to announce that 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 officially joined our ecosystem in October 🗓️, and we are thrilled to start hosting this innovative voice‑driven lab solution 🤖🧪. This collaboration is an important step in accelerating digital transformation in the lab💡. Several proofs of concept are already underway 🔬 worldwide (Crève-Coeur, Monheim, Lyon), and we look forward to exploring how Labvoice can simplify workflows, improve data capture, and enhance efficiency for scientists. A special thank you to Frederic Bost for partnering with us on this journey 🤝 and to Liz Eisinger Wright, and Markus Heidebrecht for making this setup possible 🙏. Those efforts help bring cutting‑edge solutions to the Bayer network and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate together 🚀 #LifeHubLyon #OpenInnovation #DigitalTransformation #Labvoice #Collaboration #BayerEcosystem Philippe Méresse, Catherine Sirven, Simon Maechling