Pioneer Hi-Bred to Expand R&D in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) and Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, announced here at BIO International, plans to establish a second Pioneer research and development center in Salinas, Puerto Rico. The new research laboratory is anticipated to create up to 100 new jobs on the island, which is a U.S. territory and home to a thriving agro-biotechnology cluster. These new positions include both lab and related positions anticipated as a result of the new facility.

Current plans include the remodel of a 22,000-square-foot facility into a state-of-the-art laboratory. The new facility is slated to open in early 2011 and will focus on marker technologies used to discover, characterize, and commercialize traits and seed varieties. It will be one of more than 100 Pioneer research centers operating around the world.

"Puerto Rico was a smart choice for many reasons,” said John Soper, senior research director at Pioneer Hi-Bred. “It has the same regulatory framework as the mainland United States -- including efficient transportation of seed -- but offers a longer growing season suitable for planting crops year-round.”

"Equally important was the human resource talent we can find on the island,” he continued. “The University of Puerto in Mayagüez is a top agricultural school that turns out a steady stream of quality scientists and agronomists.”

Pioneer worked closely with the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company, a governmental economic development agency, in planning for the new research center and was able to take advantage of new economic incentives to stimulate the establishment of more research-focused agro-biotechnology operations on the island.

"We are delighted that Pioneer is expanding its presence in Puerto Rico with this new research center,” said Javier Vázquez Morales, executive director, Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company. “This project exemplifies how Puerto Rico is transitioning from an agrarian and manufacturing economy to a knowledge-based economy.”

Pioneer first established a presence in Puerto Rico in 1989 with a parent seed production facility. Today, the company’s Salinas operation on the south coast of the island has about 130 permanent employees and hires more than 1,000 temporary workers at times during the growing season. The new laboratory will be located within a few miles of Pioneer’s existing 30,000-square-foot facility.