Syngenta To Develop £100m AI-Powered Crop Research Centre In UK

Syngenta has announced a major new investment in agricultural bioscience, unveiling plans for a £100 million research centre at its Berkshire base in the UK that will focus on next-generation, sustainable solutions for farming.

Image: Syngenta

The Biological Sciences Technology and Research centre (BioSTaR) will be built at Syngenta’s existing Jealott’s Hill R&D site, already the UK’s largest facility dedicated to agricultural technology research. 

Syngenta said in a press release that it expects the new facility to be fully operational in 2028, describing it as a world‑leading hub for agricultural bioscience powered by advanced technology and artificial intelligence.

Once complete, BioSTaR will bring together around 300 scientists who already work at Jealott’s Hill into a purpose‑built environment designed to accelerate discovery and product development. 

Syngenta said the £100m investment marks an enhancement of the company’s commitment to the UK as a key hub for global R&D and innovation.

“With this investment, we are pushing the boundaries of science,” explained Camilla Corsi, Global Head of Crop Protection R&D at Syngenta. 

“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.”

Mike Hollands, President of Syngenta UK, noted that Jealott’s Hill has been pioneering agricultural discoveries for nearly a century, many of which have advanced 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,” Hollands commented. 

UK Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle said the project demonstrates Syngenta’s confidence in the UK’s agricultural science and aligns with government backing for agri‑tech growth and British farming, including £345m in grants for sustainable equipment and innovation. 

Focus on AI, Bioscience and Sustainable Farming

BioSTaR will concentrate on delivering the latest advances in biological sciences, molecular and analytical research, and digital innovation.

The facility will bring together the rapidly emerging new scientific frontiers in agriculture under one roof.

This includes designing crop protection solutions with novel modes of action to creating products that respond to environmental signals such as temperature and soil quality.

A significant portion of the investment will go into cutting‑edge AI capabilities to speed up the design and delivery of differentiated agricultural solutions. 

The company expects real‑world data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence to sit at the heart of modern bioscience in the new centre. 

By combining these capabilities, Syngenta aims to deepen understanding of how farming systems function and to develop tools that protect crops more effectively, reduce environmental impact and strengthen resilience in a changing climate.

Scientific Priorities at BioSTaR 

Syngenta outlines several core scientific priorities for the new facility:

• Decoding biological complexity: Understanding how pests, pathogens, plants, and soils interact to identify precise intervention points for pest control, plant growth stimulation, and greater natural resilience.

• Designing new classes of crop protection tools: Developing novel chemical and biological agents with new modes of action that can deliver effects safely and reliably.

• Ensuring delivery and responsible breakdown: Tracking how compounds move through plants and soils, how they degrade, and how to optimise that process for performance and environmental safety.

• Scaling sustainable manufacturing: Expanding biological manufacturing processes to make complex agents at scale and at viable cost to ensure innovation is accessible to farmers globally.

Syngenta said the UK investment in BioSTaR 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.

Already in the UK, Jealott’s Hill has been behind several major agricultural breakthroughs, according to the global firm. 

Those include technologies such as Amistar, PLINAZOLIN technology, and the newly developed VIRESTINA technology, which targets herbicide‑resistant weeds using a “Safer by Design” approach to deliver higher yields with reduced environmental impact.