A gift of $135,000 from Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. will benefit Iowa State University's Office of Biotechnology by helping future plant breeders and researchers understand the ethical, economic and legal dimensions of protecting scientific discoveries.

A portion of Pioneer's gift resulted from recent court cases in which Pioneer successfully enforced its intellectual property rights relating to its unique seed products.

"Protecting scientific discoveries is a complex and global issue. Future researchers need to have a foundation for understanding the various dimensions of the value of their proprietary discoveries in agriculture," said Bill Niebur, Pioneer vice president, Research, Discovery.

"The ability for researchers to protect their discoveries is essential to promote product development that will improve agriculture. Through its support of Iowa State University, Pioneer is demonstrating the value it places on researchers' rights and ethical business practices," Niebur said.

The gift will be used to fund the following four projects.

Interdisciplinary, Web-based educational activities for college students.
Kristen Hessler, bioethics outreach coordinator, and Allen Knapp, agronomy associate professor, will develop a series of interactive activities on the Web to introduce students to fields outside of their own, including life sciences, philosophy, economics, law and international trade. The lessons will help students understand the ethical ramifications of intellectual property protection. The two-year project will begin this summer.

Economics of Innovation and Science Policy lectures.
Pioneer's gift will support a five-year series of lectures by leading national and international experts. They will discuss issues related to the economic incentives for scientific research and development activities for both the public and private sectors, and the contribution of science and technology to economic development and growth. The on-campus lectures will be free and open to the public. GianCarlo Moschini, Pioneer Chair of Science and
Technology Policy and professor of economics, will coordinate the series, which will begin next fall.

Intellectual Property Protection for Germplasm and Plant Varieties: PVP Certificates or Patents?
In the United States, two methods of discovery protection available to plant breeders are the protection certificates envisioned by the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Act, and the utility patents obtained through the Patent and Trademark Office. But in many other countries, only PVP-type protection is possible. The type of protection that these alternatives offer differs greatly. Moschini will study the different innovation incentives provided by PVP and patents, and analyze the implications for agricultural innovations. He also will look at the international implications for agricultural innovations. Study results should be useful in devising optimal protection policies for agriculture, especially for modern biotechnology innovations. The project will begin this spring and conclude in 2005.

Impact of Intellectual Property Rights Protection on Producers and Consumers in Developing Countries.
Property rights in the seed industry encourage private sector research that can be profitably sold in the country
where the right is protected. Developed countries have strong property rights and developing countries tend to
have weaker protections. Beginning this spring, three Iowa State professors will conduct research that examines
economic and jurisprudential justifications for enforcement, and the likely welfare effect of strong rights protection. Their goal is to look at the economic implications of IP rights in a broader political jurisprudential context. The faculty members conducting the two-year research project are Dermot Hayes, Pioneer Chair in Agribusiness and professor of economics; Sergio Lence, professor of economics; and Clark Wolf, associate professor of philosophy and religious studies and director of the ISU Bioethics Program.

"We're grateful for Pioneer's continuing support of the biotechnology program at Iowa State. This gift enables us to advance our knowledge of the impacts of researchers' rights, keep the campus community up-to-date on timely, evolving topics, and enhance students' understanding of an issue they will face in their careers," said Walter Fehr, C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, and director of the Office of Biotechnology.

Pioneer's gift was made through the ISU Foundation -- a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to securing and stewarding gifts and grants that benefit Iowa State University.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers, and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics, crop protection solutions, and quality crop systems to customers. DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.