Experts in their field: new project to cultivate agricultural knowledge

Experts from the University’s School of Life Sciences will collaborate with partners from across the UK to address critical skills and knowledge shortages in the country’s agricultural sector.

In the face of an ageing and diminishing agricultural workforce, and the persistent threat of pests, there is an urgent need to address the skills gap required to ensure sustainable supplies of crops into the future. 

Focusing primarily on potatoes, barley and minority cereal crops, the Crop Innovation Centre – Skills, Technology And Research Training (CIC-START) will support 24 postgraduate researchers, equipping them with the skills and expertise needed to tackle key sustainability challenges. The Centre is to be supported with funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

“As we get our food and drink from supermarket shelves, we often forget how important and vulnerable our food supply chains are,” said Dundee’s Dr Edgar Huitema, Principal Investigator and Head of Postgraduate Studies at Dundee’s School of Life Sciences.

“A variety of external drivers, such as climate change, energy security, farmland availability, and the regulatory landscape surrounding pesticide use, impact food security and demand innovation towards sustainable practices.

“If we want to safeguard the future of our lands and crops, we must innovate while training a highly skilled workforce capable of both generating and applying new knowledge. Given their critical contributions to food security, export, and the national economy, we have to address vulnerabilities in the potato and small grain cereals sectors. 

“CIC-START-funded research will address key bottlenecks in potato and cereal supply chains and train the next generation of professionals. Empowering a new generation of professionals, each capable of protecting and cultivating these crops and more, will do just that.”

Based at the James Hutton Institute’s Crop Innovation Centre, CIC-START brings together expertise from Dundee’s School of Life Sciences, JHI, alongside 28 industrial partners.

Researchers will conduct research, informed by real-world problems in the sector, focusing on genetic and agronomic strategies to improve pest and disease control, soil health, and climate resilience, while reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

Research will span three core themes – Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Crop and Soil Health, and Waste and GHG Reductions – sharing and developing knowledge capable of ensuring sustainable supplies of crops. The Centre will ultimately deliver a new generation of highly skilled PhD professionals ready to lead in the potato and small grain cereals sectors.

Scott Walker, Chief Executive Officer of GB Potatoes, said, “The CIC-START project is a fantastic example of the ambition and innovation that will drive the next phase of growth for the UK potato industry.  

“Our sector is built on science, skills, and collaboration and this initiative brings all three together to tackle the big challenges head-on. It is an investment not just in research, but in people - the next generation of skilled professionals who will help drive growth, profitability and sustainability across the sector. 

“We are not just strengthening our knowledge base we are future-proofing the industry.” 

Dr James Brosnan, Scotch Whisky Research Institute, added, “To address sustainability challenges, it is important to invest in the training of future crop science experts in both industry and academia.  The CIC-START programme will take a holistic approach to crop systems, soil health, and GHG reductions applied to vital UK crops, which underpin domestic food staples and protect the value of key UK exports such as Scotch Whisky.”

Katherine Smart, Global Technical Director and Chief Scientist, Diageo, added, “Through this partnership, we bring industry insight, real-world application and long-term commitment to help ensure that research is closely aligned with the practical challenges faced across global supply chains. We are also delighted that, while strengthening the resilience and sustainability of our value chain, this collaboration will invest in the next generation of talented scientists and equip them to tackle the complex challenges facing modern agriculture.

“At Diageo, we continue to focus on improving the sustainability of our operations, and CIC-START will help shape a more resilient future for the crops and communities that underpin our business and the wider industry.”

Professor Ian Toth, Director of the National Potato Innovation Centre (NPIC) based at the JHI, said, “I am delighted that following feedback from the cereal and potato industries on their major challenges, CIC-START has managed to secure funding for up to 96 years of full-time collaborative post-graduate research that will help to address some of these challenges and provide a skilled workforce for both agricultural sciences and industry into the future.’ 

Professor Timothy George, head of the International Barley Hub (IBH) at the JHI, added, “This is a great opportunity for us to support the cutting edge in science in the field of crop innovation and help train the next generation of crop scientists, building on the success of previous doctoral training programmes.”