Bayer: Science For A Better Life - research - Interview Dr. Wolfgang Plischke

Interview Dr. Wolfgang Plischke

Innovative developments for a better life

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Dr. Wolfgang Plischke joined the Board of Management of Bayer AG in 2006. He is responsible for Innovation, Technology and Environment, as well as for the Asia-Pacific region.

For the third time in a row, Bayer has been named “Best in Class” in climate protection. Is this issue also significant in your research work?
Yes, it most certainly is, because our expertise as an inventor company and problem-solver is in demand more than ever before in this field as well. We take the challenges posed by climate change very seriously and are therefore intensifying and expanding our related activities.

What changes do you plan to make?
We’ve launched the Bayer Climate Program, a comprehensive, company-wide initiative. Within this framework, we plan to invest our innovative power and our know-how in the development of new products and solutions for climate protection and for coping with climate change.

That means in concrete terms…

…that we are analyzing the energy efficiency of our own production plants, for example, and minimizing their climaterelevant effects. Our goal is to further optimize production processes, even though they already operate at a high technical level. In addition, we will examine major investment projects specifically in terms of climate protection aspects. To this end, Bayer Technology Services is developing a new method that takes not only energy efficiency but also many other variables that are significant in terms of climate protection into consideration. Going beyond that, our scientists are working on developing integrated solutions for climate-friendly office and industrial buildings that achieve optimum efficiency in energy consumption.

What can the general public expect from Bayer on the product level?

In the agricultural sector, we are developing plants that produce good yields even under extreme conditions, such as heat and drought. We also want to develop methods for exploiting plants as raw materials to make fuels that conserve resources and cut emissions. The keyword here is ‘biofuel’. The main idea behind such a campaign: we must conserve our natural resources wherever possible in order to safeguard our future and give upcoming generations a fair chance to shape their lives.

But Bayer’s research activities are not limited to the field of climate protection. What are the other main areas?

Take, for instance, our most research-intensive division, Bayer HealthCare. This year we concluded the process of realigning the development portfolio at Bayer Schering Pharma and have now concentrated active substance research on four growth segments: Oncology, Cardiology, Women’s Healthcare and Diagnostic Imaging.

How significant is innovation for Bayer CropScience?

Again, very significant. Our plan was to bring a total of 30 new crop protection active substances to market in the period from 2000 to 2012. By the end of 2006, we had already launched as many as 17 of these new active substances. Right now, we have another 45 new projects in the early research phase at Bayer CropScience. And our product pipeline in the seed and plant biotechnology segment is stocked with over 40 lead projects.

And what is the situation like at Bayer MaterialScience?

Particularly significant projects here are our tailor-made polyurethanes , polycarbonates and coating and adhesive raw materials for new applications, for example waterborne coating raw materials, and materials for optical and holographic data storage. Other fundamentally new developments in this subgroup include the electroluminescent films from Lyttron and our BayTubes; we want to be one of the world’s largest manufacturers of these carbon nanotubes in a very short time.

That gives a good picture of the current research pipeline, but Bayer also supports other projects to safeguard the future. For example, the company recently reorganized its sponsorship activities.

That’s right. We have intensified our commitment to education, science and social programs. Our existing activities have been combined and brought together under the roof of two new 26 Interview foundations. The Bayer Science & Education Foundation supports school and science education, as well as research in the natural sciences and medicine. We will be funding both young talents and top scientists in the scientific fields related most closely to our own core competencies, such as health, food and high-quality materials. It is complemented by the Bayer Cares Foundation, which is dedicated to social programs. It supports public interest activities in the communities around Bayer locations and helps to fund international social projects, as well as helping people who have, for example, encountered difficulties due to natural disasters.

Talent promotion is a keyword. Bayer also has to consider its own need to recruit top candidates for the company. What is being done in this area?

We have set up the Bayer Fellowship Program as an internal system to more effectively support deserving researchers who already work for us. This is also regarded extremely positively by the scientific world outside Bayer. We are also actively searching for the best minds. For example, we regularly invite extremely talented doctoral and post-doctoral students to visit Bayer and maintain an active dialog with them so that we can fill them with enthusiasm for Bayer.

The Triple-i Initiative, which is designed to encourage Bayer employees around the world to come up with innovative business concepts, similarly focuses on outstanding ideas. Are you satisfied with what the program has achieved thus far?

More than satisfied. Over 2,500 ideas have been submitted and, although numbers are not the main thing, the figure does illustrate impressively how much creative potential our employees possess.

But the bottom line is ultimately what matters.

You’re absolutely right, and we are very happy with the results. For example, more than 600 ideas have been passed on to the subgroups, which are actively pursuing over 60 of them. These ideas range from Makrolon hardtops for sailboats to the reforestation of tree plantations.

That all sounds very promising. But how do you ensure that Bayer is also involved in new developments outside the organization?

That is a very important point. We want to open up more to the outside and are always interested in new forms of cooperation. I can give you two examples: recently we collaborated with RWTH Aachen University to establish a Center for Catalysis Research and we are involved in organizing the German Federal Government’s High-Tech Strategy. As you can see, all of these activities show that we are on the right path to developing fascinating products for the future, entirely in line with our mission statement: “Bayer: Science For A Better Life”.