Novozymes world's best science employer in 2015: Science magazine

Global biotech major Novozymes emerged as the best science employer in the world in 2015, according to the latest survey by Science Magazine.

Novozymes was followed by pharmaceutical companies Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Novo Nordisk to be ranked in the top three positions.

Bangalore-based biotechnolog company Biocon was ranked 13th in the list.

The survey polled employees in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and related industries to determine the 20 best employers globally.

The key driving characteristics of the ranking were - innovative leader in the industry, treats employees with respect and socially responsible initiatives.

"We are very proud to be recognized as the best employer by this leading scientific journal," said Per Falholt, chief science officer at Novozymes.

"I believe that is a great motivation for everybody at Novozymes," Falholt said in a statement.

Novozymes that boasts of uber-friendly workplace has been engaged the field of industrial biotechnology since the 1940s. One in five of its 6,500 employees work in research and development (R&D), with the company's main research centres located in Denmark, China, US and India.

Novozymes invests 13-14 percent of total revenue into R&D each year, the company said.

Science Magazine is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The "2015 Top Employers Survey" is based on 5,701 survey responses from readers of Science and other survey invitees.

Survey participants came from North America (57 percent), Europe (27 percent), and Asia/Pacific Rim (11 percent).

Over 90 percent of the companies surveyed work in biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, and pharmaceutical companies.

As a major producer of industrial enzymes and microorganisms, Novozymes' biotechnology is used by companies to save on energy, water and raw materials in a wide range of products - from laundry detergents, textiles and beer to biofuels, animal feed and crops.

In 2014, the worldwide application of Novozymes' biological solutions helped customers reduce their CO2 emissions by an estimated 60 million tons, equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road, the statement noted.