Key Takeaways
- The University of Essex is participating in PhenomUK, a £35.4 million, six-year project funded through the UK Research and Innovation Infrastructure Fund and led by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
- Professor Tracy Lawson from the University of Essex School of Life Sciences leads the university's contribution to this transformative national plant research infrastructure.
- The project builds on successful preliminary activities led by the University of Nottingham, with participation from Universities of Sheffield, Essex, Edinburgh and Manchester plus Rothamsted Research.
- PhenomUK aims to develop climate-resilient crop varieties to address challenges costing the UK economy over £2.9 billion annually from invasive species and extreme weather.
- The infrastructure will span crop growth stages from seed to field, accelerating precision breeding and engineering biology applications for agricultural solutions.
National Plant Research Infrastructure Launched
The University of Essex has joined a landmark £35.4 million national research initiative designed to transform plant and crop research across the United Kingdom. PhenomUK, announced in March 2024, represents a six-year project funded through the UK Research and Innovation Infrastructure Fund and led by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
The project builds upon successful preliminary activities including the UK Plant and Crop Phenotyping Infrastructure Preliminary Activity and PhenomUK Technology Touching Life network, both multidisciplinary endeavors led by the University of Nottingham with assistance from partner institutions.
University of Essex Research Contributions
Professor Tracy Lawson from the University of Essex School of Life Sciences leads the university's participation in this transformative initiative.
