Raleigh, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/08/2010 -- Bayer CropScience (http://www.bayercropscience.com), one of the world’s top innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and traits, has been nominated and selected as a finalist for the 2010 North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) 21 Awards in the category of green technology company. Winners will be recognized at the annual awards gala on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel at 4700 Emperor Blvd. in Durham, N.C., presented in conjunction with title sponsor Grant Thornton. The theme for this year’s event is “A License To Excel,” and more than 600 business and technology leaders from across the state are expected to attend.

Bayer CropScience believes that the future of agriculture relies on innovation to ensure growers have the tools to produce greater yields off the same amount of land. By 2050, the global population is expected to reach 9 billion people, and new technology – from classical chemistry, to new plant traits and high-quality, high-performance seed -- is key to safeguarding the food supply. Modern plant breeding, including biotech, is critical to making plants less sensitive to the stresses imposed by climatic and environmental factors and to increase resistance to pests which boosts yields to manage global demand for food.

The company is also working to develop new technologies in crops such as cotton, rice, canola, corn and soybeans that are more stress-tolerant and produce higher yields. Bayer CropScience recently opened its Innovation Center in Morrisville to support its rapidly growing seeds and traits business.

QUOTES:
“Being selected as a finalist for the NCTA Awards is exciting and an honor,” said Geoff Kneen, vice president and head of BioScience RTP operations for Bayer CropScience. “Innovation is the foundational key to feeding our growing world and our products and research support growers in this mission.”

DETAILS:
- The NCTA 21 Awards are recognized as North Carolina’s most prestigious technology awards, celebrating innovation and excellence. This annual showcase honors companies and individuals in 21 categories who represent the best and brightest in technology and business.

- The North Carolina Technology Association’s mission is “Making North Carolina Number One in Technology and Technology Number One in North Carolina.” The organization does this through three main focus areas: executive engagement, public affairs and enabling member transition to a technology-enabled workforce.

- For more information about the NCTA 21 awards, visit http://www.nctechnology.org/.

About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 6.5 billion (2009), 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 18,700 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: http://www.press.bayercropscience.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at http://www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Brittney Storm
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
brittney@mmipublicrelations.com
http://twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com

Beth Roden
Bayer CropScience
(919) 549-2030
Beth.roden@bayercropscience.com