ST. LOUIS, MO – May 2, 2018– Leaders of Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, CTC, the world’s largest sugarcane technology company, headquartered in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil announced today that following a nationwide search, the company has selected St. Louis, Missouri for its North American research headquarters. The newly formed subsidiary of CTC, CTC Genomics, will be temporarily located at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center while their permanent space at the Bio Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park is built.
CTC Genomics will focus on developing new platforms for sugarcane which will allow substantial quality and productivity gains. The company plans to initially employ 10-15 people in its BRDG Park location enabling them to access some of the Danforth Center’s state-of-the-art facilities including the Center’s Transformation Facility. The company plans to hold an employee recruiting event on June 6 at the Danforth Center.
“After visiting multiple sites, our encounter with St. Louis was the perfect environment to attract talent, and access unique infrastructures and transformation expertise for our bold start in the U.S.,” said Diego Henrique Souza Ferres, Head of R&D. “CTC Genomics will advance techniques to develop sugar cane and accelerate development and yield gains over time.”
“The region’s strength in agriculture research and development, deep talent pool and access to critical research infrastructure enabled us to win this very competitive selection competition,” said Sam Fiorello, Danforth Center COO and BRDG Park president.
St. Louis has created a thriving agtech startup ecosystem through a combination of home grown startups and companies that chose to relocate here from around the globe. Several organizations worked together on the recruitment effort including GlobalSTL, BioSTL's international company recruitment arm.
"St. Louis has a world-class constellation of plant science assets that is perfectly matched for what CTC needs to transform sugarcane, one of the most complex crops to develop. CTC leaders made a wise choice of placing their bet on St. Louis to help them make sugarcane a competitive and valuable crop for farmers and consumers," said Vijay Chauhan, GlobalSTL lead.
The State of Missouri provided various incentives including $175,000 in funding from the Missouri Technology Corporation’s Missouri Building Entrepreneurial Capacity Program to help offset a portion of the buildout costs of CTC’s lab space.
“CTC’s decision to locate its North American research headquarters in St. Louis is another exciting validation of Missouri’s position as a leading ag innovation hub and shows the importance of making strategic investments in our innovation infrastructure,” said Bill Anderson, executive director, Missouri Technology Corporation.
“CTC is exactly the type of visionary agtech leader that’s a perfect fit for Missouri and St. Louis,” said Missouri Partnership CEO, Steve Johnson. “It was a privilege to work alongside GlobalSTL, the Missouri Technology Corporation and the Missouri Department of Economic Development to show CTC why Missouri’s position as the global agtech leader gives companies a competitive advantage.”
About CTC Genomics
The CTC – Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira is a Brazilian company focused on research, development, and marketing of varieties of sugarcane and other disruptive technologies. It has as shareholders the main groups of the sugar-ethanol sector, representing more than 60% of the production of sugar and ethanol in Brazil. CTC Genomics will establish a commercial development pipeline in the U.S. and investment in advanced cell and molecular biology research.
About BRDG Park at the Danforth Center
Bio Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center helps life science companies bridge research, resources and relationships to achieve commercial success. In addition to providing world-class wet laboratories, office space and a prominent incubator, BRDG Park’s location on the Danforth Center’s campus facilitates access to the intellectual capital of top scientists, as well as to greenhouses, growth chambers, microscopy and proteomics facilities and other vital resources. Located in suburban St. Louis County, Mo., BRDG Park is a development of Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, a real estate company exclusively focused on partnering with universities, academic medical centers and research institutions to develop vibrant, mixed-use Knowledge Communities built upon a foundation of research, discovery, entrepreneurial activity, and commercial collaboration.
More information is available at www.BRDG-Park.com.
About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research, education and outreach aim to have impact at the nexus of food security and the environment and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.
