An International Collaboration

This Centre is funded by the Australian Research Council under its Industrial Transformation Training Hubs Program to run from 2022 to 2027.

It is a collaboration of universities, government research agencies and the Australian grains sector’s key stakeholders in training, R&D, social engagement, responsible innovation, breeding, marketing and delivery.

It also has international partners in gene-editing, SynBio, crop breeding, and, other partnerships for co-developing deep technologies to transform the agriculture industry and global food security.

• 2 Universities
  • Australian National University
  • University of Adelaide
• 7 Research Partners
  • Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences
  • CSIRO
  • Department of Primary Industries – NSW
  • John Innes Centre
  • NIAB
  • South Australian Research and Development Institute
  • The Australian Plant Phenomics Facility
• 12 Industry Partners
  • Advanta Seeds Pty Ltd
  • Australian Crop Breeders Ltd
  • Australian Grain Technologies Pty Ltd
  • Australian Seed Federation Ltd
  • Bioplatforms Australia Ltd
  • Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd
  • Grain Trade Australia Ltd
  • Grains Research and Development Corporation
  • InterGrain Pty Ltd
  • KWS UK Ltd
  • Longreach Plant Breeders Management Pty Ltd
  • Nuseed Pty Ltd

Our Vision

The Centre will build future R&D capabilities in the Agrifood sector to drive growth, productivity and competitiveness for the benefit of agriculture and global food security.

We will train the next generation of researchers, policy-makers and industry leaders who will collectively build a community of practice that drives innovation, growth and competitiveness in the crop agri-tech sector. The workforce will be uniquely equipped with the socio-economic and regulatory know-how necessary for successful agricultural innovation and adoption.

Our Why

Major advances in gene-editing and synthetic biology (SynBio) over the last 5 years have the potential to dramatically improve the efficiency of agricultural production with a predicted US$1.6 trillion global economic impact.

However, greater societal engagement about potential benefits and concerns about these technologies, and improved research and industry connectivity is needed to progress agricultural innovation.

The Future Crops Training Centre will create a nationwide industrial capability that will be internationally transformational in accelerating crop genetic improvement. This capability will provide novel insights that clearly analyse societal and market considerations and new product opportunities, and achieve better alignment between technology and societal demands.

Commencing in 2022, the Centre will train PhD students and early-career researchers in new Agri-technologies and in analysing socio-economic opportunities.

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CENTRE PARTNERS