Robert Fraley, Chief Technology Officer at biotechnology giant Monsanto, believes communicating science and training next-generation STEM graduates are just as important as doing science. Texas Tech University, hosted a team of six Monsanto executives lead by Robert Fraley recently. Fraley, a much accomplished scientist with World Food Prize and US National Medal of Technology engaged the whole afternoon with researchers and students to talk about the importance of science, communicating science and training next generation workforce with science and technology education.

He emphasized the need for not only geneticists but also people who are trained in social sciences, statistics and data analytics, emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary knowledge in the future R & D industry. Fraley’s group was the first team in the world to put a gene into a plant that resulted in technologies such as Bollgard and Roundup Ready, which basically enhanced the yield of cotton in countries like India, which became the world number in cotton production last year. Nearly 25 per cent of Monsanto’s R&D budget is set aside for collaborations involving start-ups, academia and small businesses.

This March, Monsanto broke ground for a $140 million cottonseed production facility in Lubbock to be operational in summer 2017, will cater to the cotton seed requirement of the whole United States.