Biotech Updates

CAS-JIC Partners for Crop Science Centre of Excellence

May 18, 2012

A joint symposium between researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the John Innes Centre (JIC) held in Shanghai settled the plan for a new center of excellence for plant research.

The facility will be a center for designing crop plants with improved performance and reduced reliance on inputs for the future. It will also be a potential avenue for the development of new natural products using the biodiversity of plants and microbes. The Centre of Excellence will run joint research programs, monitored by CAS and JIC scientists, which will focus on the production of new varieties of ‘future-proof' rice and wheat.

Prior to the symposium, the JIC and CAS had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding last June 2011. Both have committed in combining their strengths to promote food security, sustainable agriculture, and healthy living. Part of the memorandum is the series of exchanges and the establishment of a joint CAS-JIC Centre of Excellence in China.

Access the original news by the Chinese Academy of Science's at http://english.cas.cn/Ne/CASE/201205/t20120517_85997.shtml.