Monsanto Announces Major Expansion for Chesterfield Research Center
April 24, 2013 Monsanto will bring together its St. Louis-based research and development team on one campus when it completes a more than $400 million expansion at its Chesterfield Village Research Center.
The project, which will begin this summer, will add 36 new greenhouses, extra offices and laboratory space, and additional plant growth chambers to facilitate development of Monsanto’s seed and trait pipeline. The greenhouses and plant growth chambers, which can be programmed to represent any climate around the world, are a critical component of the company’s research work, as they offer scientists an opportunity to observe and select only the best performing seeds for in-ground testing.
The expanded facility will enable greater collaboration between researchers as they work to develop new systems of technologies to make agriculture more productive and more sustainable, according to the company.
“Our Chesterfield Village Research Center is already a world-class facility, and with our planned new investment, will truly be a home worthy of what I believe is the most innovative team in agriculture,” said Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology officer. “Monsanto has pledged to help those in agriculture find new ways to produce more while using less of our globe’s resources.”
In addition to the new office and research space, the company will add a new employee cafeteria, conference center and parking structure as part of the project.
Approximately 1,000 employees currently work at the Chesterfield site, which could have the capacity to house 2,000 local technology employees once the project is complete. Today, the site comprises 1.5 million-square-feet and includes approximately 250 laboratories, 122 plant growth chambers and two acres of greenhouses.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2017, and teams will begin moving to the Chesterfield site in phases at that time.
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