Basel, Switzerland and Austin, Texas, USA
September 6, 2011
Syngenta has entered into a joint research and business development collaboration agreement with Illumitex, a US-based developer of world-leading lighting sources. The companies will jointly develop new applications for innovative LED-based lighting technology in plant growth.
Research has shown that novel LED lighting systems, which use low-energy semiconductors as the light source, can better support plant growth in controlled environments such as greenhouses, and reduce costs for growers. Light plays a crucial role in plant growth. Its energy fuels photosynthesis, the conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds that make plants grow.
The benefits for growers include optimized color uniformity on the plants – an important feature especially for ornamentals – as well as the possibility to control the wavelengths of light delivered onto the plant surface. This further reduces energy consumption.
The collaboration with Illumitex will give Syngenta access to new technologies that will expand our integrated offer to horticultural growers. Through Syngenta’s research expertise, new growing protocols combined with state-of-the-art LED technologies can be developed to help increase the quality and efficiency in plant production.
Joint collaboration projects with Illumitex in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States are scheduled to begin this year. Further research and development projects are being planned around the world.
LED technology leader Illumitex enters into joint research and business development agreement with Syngenta
- Joint collaboration projects are planned to improve plant production processes
- Syngenta Ventures made investment in Illumitex Series D Funding Round
Illumitex, Inc., developer of high-brightness LEDs and emerging LED technology, announced today that it has entered into a joint research and business development relationship with Syngenta. Through the alliance, Syngenta will utilize Illumitex's patented LED technology to develop next generation growing protocols in plant growth research projects in controlled environments such as greenhouses and indoor growth chambers.
By coupling Illumitex's precision beam control with the capability of customizing the light spectrum, Illumitex is enabling widespread adoption of LED lighting for use in the global horticulture market. Illumitex's horticulture lighting systems also provide dynamic wavelength control to further regulate plant growth, while the Digital Distribution(TM) beam technology results in unrivalled light quality on the plants. Joint collaboration projects to improve plant production processes in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States are scheduled to begin in Q3 2011. Additional projects are currently being planned around the world.
"With this business development partnership, Illumitex continues to solidify our position as the worldwide leader in LED lighting systems for horticulture applications," said Matt Thomas, CEO of Illumitex. "While once thought to be a small niche of the LED revolution, the horticulture segment is now an extremely relevant application for solid-state lighting. Our joint research and business development partnership with Syngenta demonstrates the viability of our products, technology and expertise on a global scale," continued Thomas.
"As an LED manufacturer, Illumitex has solved the two previous impediments to successfully utilizing LED lighting in horticulture applications: color uniformity on the plants and cost per delivered photon," said Jon Campbell, Syngenta's Head of Partnerships and Scouting for the Lawn & Garden business. "The combination of Illumitex's LED technology and Syngenta's deep understanding of plants will enable the development of integrated customer solutions to deliver better plants, more efficiently," Campbell added.
In conjunction with the collaboration, Syngenta Ventures, the venture capital arm of Syngenta, has made an investment in Illumitex Inc. as part of the company's latest round of private funding. The funds will be used to assist Illumitex with continued LED technology research and development, as well as to expand the sales and marketing efforts of existing products.
Founded in 2005 by imaging and optics industry veterans and backed by some of the largest investors in venture capital, US-based Illumitex is a developer of world-leading LED light sources. Illumitex's breakthrough LED technology incorporates fundamental physics principles to maximize light extraction from the source. By extracting and directing photons at the die and package level, Illumitex LEDs deliver more usable light to the intended target while consuming less energy.
Topics
Species
