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JUNE 2015 SEEDWORLD.COM 43 trait will indeed deliver unique value companies begin technical assessments to determine if the technology will work in real-world settings. They have a system of milestones or checks and balances that allows them to rigorously and objec- tively evaluate the traits success at vari- ous points along the pipeline. If it meets the criteria set in place then it continues through the process to commercializa- tion however if it doesnt meet the crite- ria it is eliminated as a viable option. We have a lot of requirements that we promised to uphold to the world before releasing this technology and only after we have met all of these require- ments will we launch this product Veenhuizen says. Companies also gauge manufacturing success or how easily a potential trait can move from research and development to production. And although they originally deter- mined a need for the trait they continu- ally assess its potential business success. Since it takes almost a decade for a trait to move through the pipeline the com- pany wants to ensure there is still a market need identify where it can be successfully launched calculate its value and deter- mine its potential return on investment. The overall goal is to avoid late-stage failures as much as possible because it equates to significant losses for a com- pany in terms of time and money. It can also damage industry and consumer confidence in the pipeline process. In the best interest of the entire industry it is really good for every- one not to have late-stage failures Veenhuizen says. We want to build trust in our process. The pipeline is built to avoid late-stage failures in a really nice way by requiring strict criteria from the very beginning. Manage the Decade-long Process Ten years might seem like a long time to bring a new trait to market but its the timeframe thats needed to ensure a new trait is safe for farmers consumers and the environment. The timeline breaks down into a few years for discovery and invention. Then companies spend five to six years gen- erating regulatory data that proves the product does what its supposed to do tion to bring a trait to the market and actu- ally get it in a farmers field Martin says. A companys size and the develop- ment phase determines how many new traits are in the pipeline. For example at Forage Genetics International they typi- cally have five or six traits in the discovery phase two or three in early development and is safe to use. Finally it takes two to three years to receive regulatory approval after submitting the data package to the government. It is an all-inclusive process that involves the research scientists business analysts field research organizations and ultimately the entire commercial organiza- Duane Martin serves as product lead for commercial traits at Syngenta. Jeff Veenhuizen is operations lead for Monsanto Technology.