Syngenta Builds $130 Million Research Center for Agricultural Bioscience

The Biological Sciences Technology and Research center (BioSTaR) will deliver the latest advances in biological sciences, molecular and analytical research and digital innovation.

© Syngenta

Syngenta’s planned BioSTaR facility at Jealott’s Hill will unite about 300 scientists in a purpose-built environment to accelerate discovery and product development through cutting-edge AI, bioscience, and digital research. Expected to be fully operational by 2028, the center will boost the UK’s role in agricultural innovation by enabling the design of next-generation crop protection solutions, anticipating resistance, and developing products responsive to environmental signals such as temperature and soil quality.

By combining these capabilities at BioSTaR, scientists will deepen understanding of how pests, pathogens, plants, and soils interact and accelerate the development of tools that protect crops more effectively, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen farming systems in a changing climate. For example:

• Decoding biological complexity
  Understanding how organisms interact with each other and the environment reveals specific points of intervention from pest control and plant growth simulation to greater natural resilience.
• Designing new classes of crop protection tools
  Novel chemical and biological agents with new and different modes of action deliver the intended effects safely and reliably.
• Ensuring delivery and responsible breakdown
  Researchers can track how compounds move through plants and soils, how they break down, and how that process can be optimized for performance and environmental safety.
• Scaling sustainable manufacturing
  Biological manufacturing processes make it possible to develop complex chemical and biological agents at scale and viable cost—putting innovation within reach of farmers everywhere.

“At Syngenta, we are focused on creating a more productive and sustainable future for agriculture. With this investment, we are pushing the boundaries of science,” said Camilla Corsi, Global Head of Crop Protection R&D at Syngenta. She added that Syngenta’s leadership is built on cutting‑edge infrastructure and its culture of scientific excellence. “Our ability to collaborate—across disciplines, across borders and with partners worldwide—is core to our success. It powers our speed, our creativity, and our impact,” Corsi explained.

Mike Hollands, President of Syngenta UK, said: "As the birthplace of many ideas that have transformed the world, the UK has a long history of innovation, and for nearly a century, our Jealott’s Hill research hub has pioneered many of the discoveries that continue to advance global agriculture. Already the UK’s largest facility dedicated to agricultural technology research, our investment in BioSTaR signals the next chapter in Jealott's Hill's critical role in advancing agricultural innovation.”

Syngenta owns one of the world’s leading innovation pipelines for agricultural technologies. It holds more than 10,000 patents covering seed and crop protection technologies, driving next-generation solutions with an expanding portfolio of biological and precision agriculture solutions. Each year, the company invests more than $800 million in crop protection R&D, incorporating AI and fostering research collaborations that accelerate its work at the frontiers of science. The investment in BioSTaR in the UK is part of a long-term strategy to fortify its research capabilities around the world, which also includes global research hubs in Switzerland, the US, and China.

Syngenta’s Jealott’s Hill R&D site is the largest research facility in the UK dedicated to agricultural technology research, and Syngenta’s largest crop protection R&D site worldwide, employing more than 800 scientists.