H.C. Starck to Sponsor USDC's 5th Annual Flexible Displays and Microelectronics Conference.

NEWTON, Mass. & LEVERKUSEN, Germany -- The Electronics & Optics group of H.C. Starck today announced that it will sponsor the U.S. Display Consortium's (USDC's) 5th Annual Flexible Displays and Microelectronics Conference and Exhibits, to be held in Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 7-9, 2006.

H.C. Starck is a leading manufacturer of thiophene electrically conducting polymers, marketed and sold under the trade name BAYTRON(R) for applications in capacitors, displays, transparent conductive coatings, flexible electronics, and other related industries.

H.C. Starck's exhibit at the conference will highlight BAYTRON(R) P materials for hole-injection in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) as well as new, high conductivity grades for use as electrode materials. Recently-developed formulations include the ink-jettable BAYTRON(R) P Jet (for HIL) and BAYTRON(R) P Jet HC (for high conductivity films), and the screen-printable BAYTRON(R) S V3 formulation, designed for use as a flexible transparent electrode material in inorganic electroluminescent displays.

Dr. Klaus Lerch, H.C. Starck's worldwide sales and marketing manager for the BAYTRON(R) product line said, "We view the USDC Flexible Displays conference as the ideal forum for showcasing progress in the rapidly expanding flexible electronics market, and our participation reaffirms H.C. Starck's R&D focus in the area of conductive polymers. We remain committed to developing the raw materials vital to the burgeoning flexible displays market."

About H.C. Starck

H.C. Starck is an international group of companies with more than 3,400 employees at production sites in Europe, North America and the Far East. Widely known for its technology in refractory metals and ceramics, H.C. Starck has been a member of the Bayer Group (NYSE:BAY) since 1986. Worldwide sales of the H.C. Starck group are approximately EUR 800 Million.

H.C. Starck produces an assortment of refractory metal powders that is unique the world over--including tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, rhenium as well as their compounds (borides, carbides, nitrides, oxides, silicides, sulfides). H.C. Starck also produces thermal spray and advanced ceramic powders, nonferrous metals, such as nickel and nickel salts, as well as boron and boron compounds. In addition to metal powders, semi-finished and finished molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, titanium, zirconium and nickel products and their alloys are manufactured. H.C. Starck is your partner for the manufacture of components according to customers' specifications.

For additional information about the H.C. Starck group, visit www.hcstarck.com. For additional information about the BAYTRON(R) product line, visit www.baytron.com.

About the USDC's Flexible Displays and Microelectronics Conference

The U.S. Display Consortium's 5th Annual Flexible Displays and Microelectronics Conference & Exhibit returns to Phoenix on Feb. 7-9, 2006. As the industry's flagship conference focused on the burgeoning flexible displays and microelectronics industry, this conference has helped explore and resolve many of the challenges that are impacting commercialization. Expected to draw over 350 industry executives together with military and academia, this summit promises to be the most revealing to date, with a prestigious line up of companies revealing technological progress on flexible display technology, processes, materials and equipment. For additional information and updates on the conference agenda, registration or hotel information, please visit the USDC website at www.usdc.org.

About the U.S. Display Consortium

The U.S. Display Consortium is an industry-led public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat panel display manufacturers and developers, FPD users, and the supplier base. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the consortium's primary mission is to fund supply-chain projects and share the results with USDC member companies. The USDC also provides a communication channel among industry, government and the financial communities for display issues; sponsors workshops to broaden the impact of technological developments; and educates consumers on the importance of displays in providing access to information technology. More information about the USDC can be found at www.usdc.org.

Forward-looking statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.