Computational biology company Evogene has officially completed its sale of “the majority of” subsidiary Lavie Bio‘s activity to Israel-based speciality chemicals manufacturer ICL. The deal was first announced in April of this year.
Lavie Bio, which uses computational biology to speed up the discovery and development ag biological products, had previously struck an agreement with ICL in 2024 to co-develop novel biostimulant products. (It has also done partnerships with other major chemical giants including Syngenta.)
While best known for manufacturing fertilizers and speciality minerals, ICL has steadily increased its activities around ag biologicals in recent years. In 2024, the company acquired Brazilian biologicals company Nitro 1000, and in 2025 it opened its own research center for biologicals in Israel.
The company now acquires Lavie Bio’s technology platform, its bank of microbes, and its current commercial offerings from Evogene. Lavie Bio’s existing partnerships and commercial agreements “are not part of this transactions and will remain under Lavie Bio’s ownership,” according to Evogene.
“These agreements may yield future revenues for the benefit of Lavie Bio’s shareholders,” the company added.
“By integrating Lavie Bio’s platform with ICL’s R&D expertise in plant nutrition solutions, global sales network, and field-based agronomy teams, we are strengthening our ability to deliver the next generation of biological solutions,” noted ICL’s Dr. Elinor Erez, VP of R&D and growing solutions.
Evogene said it has also divested its MicroBoost AI computational engine for microbial discovery, which Lavie Bio has previously leveraged.
Panelists at the recent Salinas Biological Summit discussed the growth of ag biologicals, a sector projected to grow to $19.6 billion by 2027. That figure includes $12 billion for biocontrols, $7.6 billion for biostimulants, and $4 billion for biofertilizers. Among the event’s various predictions was an increase in the amount of industry consolidation over the near term.
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