J. Craig Venter, founder, stated in a news release: “This agreement … represents a comprehensive, long-term research and development exploration into the most efficient and cost-effective organisms and methods to produce next generation algal biofuel. We are confident that the combination of our respective expertise in science, research, engineering and scale-up should unlock the power of algae as biological energy producers in methods and scale not previously explored.”
BP, an oil conglomerate , is among the investors in the Privately held Synthetic Genomics led by genomic research pioneer Venter.
Spokeswoman Heather Kowalski said that the oil rivals are involved in “separate and distinct programs.”
Heather Kowalski also added that the latest agreement would create 100 new jobs in the region as Synthetic Genomics, based in La Jolla and the Washington, D.C., business in order to accommodate its research would construct a greenhouse and other facilities.
The local researchers are palnning to set up San Diego at the center of algae-based biofuels research. The newly built San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology focuses on attracting major government funding to better understand how algae-based fuels can be produced on a large scale.
