The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the primary public funding body for bioscience research in the UK, has awarded over £13M to projects that will aim to address challenges to agriculture posed by climate change and an increasing need for sustainable agriculture. New research will exploit basic plant science and plant genetics to find solutions to problems on:

• How to grow crops able to cope with climate change;
• How to breed vegetables that remain nutritious after days in the fridge;
• How to grow more effective biofuels to help reduce the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels; and
• How to exploit plants more effectively to produce better bread, beer, biodegradable carrier bags and for other applications.

The press release is available at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/media/pressreleases/07_01_09_croplaunch.html. For more information on projects funded by the BBSRC Crop Science Initiative, visit http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/media/briefings/crop_launch.pdf..