Syngenta opens digital innovation lab

Syngenta welcomed visitors to its new Digital Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Research Park during a grand opening event and forum. Faculty members, students, industry leaders, government officials, Syngenta customers and company leaders toured the lab and exchanged insights regarding the future of digital innovation in agriculture.

Bringing together the resources of a global agribusiness, the intellectual capital of a research institution and the business mentality of a tech start-up, the Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Research Park represents the first of three planned sites in Syngenta’s global digital innovation lab network.

“We are excited to embark on this chapter in our digital ag journey,” said Dan Burdett, global head of digital agriculture at Syngenta. “The Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab supports an excellent opportunity to collaborate with dynamic students and researchers from a diverse cross-section of disciplines.”

The Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab provides a forum for students in computer science, biology, physical sciences and other related subjects to apply their education — and cutting-edge technology — to address some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges. Data analytics, cloud technology, mobile applications and smart farm technology are among the platforms students will use to explore and test disruptive ideas in pursuit of solutions to complex issues.

The Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab builds on an existing industry relationship with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois. Syngenta recently appointed Brandon Dohman as full-time site director of the Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab, with plans to recruit additional professional staff members and student talent.