NetGenics, Inc. announced today an agreement with Hoechst Schering AgrEvo GmbH (Berlin, Germany) to provide its SYNERGY(TM) bioinformatics software and services to Plant Genetic Systems (PGS), an AgrEvo subsidiary in Gent, Belgium. This marks NetGenics' first agreement with a plant biotechnology company and the first application of the SYNERGY CORBA(TM) (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) framework to crop science research.

"Crop science is an exciting new direction for NetGenics that leverages our current capabilities in
drug discovery,'' said Manuel J. Glynias, President and CEO of NetGenics. "Crop science
researchers face many of the same computing challenges as researchers in pharmaceutical
discovery, including the need to integrate a wide variety of analytical tools, data sources and data
types within a single shared environment. This agreement applies the team data sharing and
integration strengths of SYNERGY to crop science, highlighting the adaptability of a CORBA
standards-based framework for life science applications.''

"By investing in SYNERGY, PGS is laying the groundwork for a scaleable system that can handle the expanded scope and volume of research in crop science,'' said Bernard Convent, AgrEvo's Head of Research and Development, Biotechnology, and Managing Director of Plant Genetic Systems. "As a flexible computing infrastructure, SYNERGY will enable PGS to respond to changing research requirements in a market poised for tremendous growth.''

SYNERGY will be installed at the PGS facility in Gent, which will become NetGenics' first
customer site in Europe. NetGenics' European subsidiary, NetGenics UK Ltd., near London will be the service office for the PGS account.

PGS is a wholly owned subsidiary of AgrEvo, a joint venture of Hoechst AG and Schering AG.

NetGenics has pioneered the effort to establish computing standards within the life sciences
community, focusing initially on drug discovery. The company is a founding member of the Object
Management Group's Life Sciences Research Domain Task Force (LSR-DTF), an industry group
dedicated to advancing the use of CORBA for life sciences computing. NetGenics has spearheaded the development of a CORBA-based standard interface for biomolecular sequence analysis, proposed last year to the LSR-DTF. NetGenics has also collaborated on a gene mapping standard, proposed in February 1999. Adoption of the biomolecular sequence analysis standard is expected later this year.

NetGenics, Inc., is a privately held company that develops and deploys information technology
solutions to accelerate life science research. The company's SYNERGY software framework
enables a research organization to link diverse computing requirements within an enterprise-wide
information infrastructure. NetGenics' services extend a research department's capabilities by
providing outsourced system administration, collaborative software development and end-user
support functions. NetGenics was established in June 1996 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio (USA).

AgrEvo, a joint venture of Hoechst AG and Schering AG, is a global player in biotechnology,
seeds, crop protection and environmental health. The company markets a wide range of products
for enhancing crop production together with applications for urban pest control. AgrEvo operates in more than 70 countries with approximately 8,600 employees. In December sales for 1998 were
DM 4.2 billion. On December 1, 1998, Hoechst AG and Rhone-Poulenc SA announced their
intention together with Schering AG to merge their agricultural interests to form Aventis
CropScience.

Company news release
N1955