When the FFAR Team interviewed Phil Taylor, director of Open Innovation & Outreach for Crop Science R&D at Bayer for this Partner Profile, he reflected on FFAR’s early days and cast a bold vision for its future.
One of FFAR’s earliest partners, Bayer joined the FFAR’s Crops of the Future Collaborative (COTF) in 2017. Through COTF, they co-funded projects including the Plant Protein Enhancement Project. Bayer also partnered to support the Pollinator for Health Fund, GEMS and the FFAR Fellows.
Taylor remembers GEMS, which evaluated the relative influence of maize breeding, field management and environmental setting on crop production and sustainability targets as one of FFAR’s great success stories.
“The impact on sustainability is awesome, and a classic example of what could only happen this way. Multiple academic and corporate partners came together, and this multiplication of effort had a far greater outcome than if any had tried to do it by themselves.
“Then I think about some of the new and emerging projects, all important work that no one organization could stand up by themselves. Forced multiplication amplifies the effort.”
He also emphasized the importance of scientific workforce development. “Talent is super important. Programs like FFAR Fellows keep talent in industry and prepare them for the careers they are seeking to have. New Innovators has a dual focus on the cross-cutting industry of innovation as well as retention of talent.”
Taylor underscores that anyone can benefit from interacting with FFAR. “There are so many ways to engage with FFAR,” he said. “The opportunity is mind blowing. There is so much diversity in the partners who are brought to these conservations. Don’t think you have to be Bayer to get something out of it.
“At heart, Bayer is an innovation company—that drives everything we do. Our vision is ‘health for all hunger for none.’ With a vision like that, the need to think differently is critical. Partnerships between organizations like Bayer and FFAR are crucial to fostering the collaboration necessary to turn data into actional information for farmers, scientists and leaders in food and agriculture.”
“FFAR is blazing a trail,” said Taylor. “What FFAR has done in bringing folks to the table in this manner is unique. That’s what we must never lose. This is about bringing people together. This is the rising tide that will raise all ships. And we are just getting started.”
Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation & Outreach for Crop Science R&D at Bayer
Phil Taylor is the Director of Open Innovation & Outreach for Crop Science R&D at Bayer. He plays a central role in building external innovation ecosystems, fostering strategic relationships around the globe and developing novel programs to accelerate innovation throughout Bayer’s R&D pipeline. Phil has held multiple leadership roles at Bayer focused on delivering collaborative approaches to enable R&D and enhance the company’s position as a thought leader in open innovation. Prior to his industry career, Phil trained as a Plant Cell Biologist, receiving his Ph.D. from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, U.K., and held post-doctoral positions at The University of Leeds and The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population.