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Why is BASF committed to biotechnology?
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Which goals is BASF pursuing with biotechnology?
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How great does BASF consider consumer demand for biotechnologically produced products to be?
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How much does BASF invest in biotechnology?
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Is biotechnology already contributing to BASF's sales today?
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Is BASF committed to medical biotechnology?
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How does BASF perceive its responsibility to inform the general public about biotechnology?
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Why is BASF committed to biotechnology?
Biotechnology is a key technology of the 21st century. It has the potential to increase yields in agriculture, to produce high-quality food and to manufacture fine chemicals in a resource-saving manner. Biotechnology is attractive in business terms and fits in with BASF's existing areas of expertise. On this basis, BASF wants to develop and market trend-setting products and processes.
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Which goals is BASF pursuing with biotechnology?
In biotechnology, the main focus of BASF is white and green biotechnology. We use white biotechnological methods in the field of fine chemistry and intermediates, in order to produce, for example, enzymes and chiral intermediates. In plant biotechnology we focus on the development of crop plants. The plants should, for example, enable healthier nutrition via improved constituents, survive droughts better as a result of improved cultivation properties or be used as renewable raw materials.
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How great does BASF consider consumer demand for biotechnologically produced products to be?
Consumers will always buy products that provide them with a new, additional benefit. And this is the case with foods with more unsaturated fatty acids. We presume that the market for healthier food products will grow significantly in the coming years.
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How much does BASF invest in biotechnology?
In its research strategy BASF bundles important technology-driven future topics in five growth clusters and makes additional funding available for them. In addition to energy management, raw material transformation and nanotechnology, plant biotechnology and white biotechnology are at the focus. For research work in "white biotechnology growth cluster" 160 million euros are available from 2006 to 2008, in "the plant biotechnology growth cluster" 330 million euros have been earmarked for research in the same period.
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Is biotechnology already contributing to BASF's sales today?
Yes, current products are, for example, phytase (enzyme for animal nutrition), vitamin B2 and chiral intermediates.
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Is BASF committed to medical biotechnology?
No. Because of our corporate focus, we are concentrating completely on the fields of plant biotechnology and white biotechnology. In these areas, the combination of new biotechnology know-how with our existing expertise results in the greatest benefit.
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How does BASF perceive its responsibility to inform the general public about biotechnology?
We take the concerns about biotechnology that have been expressed in the general public seriously. We will do everything we can to provide answers to the many questions and to seek a dialogue with the general public. We promote information and discussion events on a large scale. An example of this is the Xplore laboratory for pupils in Ludwigshafen. In this manner we are following a conception which has already met with a positive response in the field of medical genetic engineering.
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