The Bio-Protection Research Centre – a Centre of Research Excellence located at Lincoln University – has had its funding confirmed for another five years.
Established in 2003, the centre’s primary goal is to strengthen the value of New Zealand’s pastoral, horticultural and forestry industries through research to generate next generation bioprotection (biosecurity and biocontrol) solutions.
“We are absolutely thrilled that the Tertiary Education Commission has continued to fund the Bio-Protection Research Centre until 2020. The work this Centre does is fundamental research that underpins plant bioprotection and plant biosecurity for New Zealand and is strategically relevant,” says Lincoln University Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Scholarship and Research, Dr Stefanie Rixecker.
The BPRC brings together New Zealand’s leading experts in bioprotection, and is a partnership between Lincoln University, AgResearch, Massey University, Plant & Food Research and Scion.
It includes collaborations with several other national and international research institutes and incorporates one of the strongest bioprotection postgraduate training groups in the Southern Hemisphere.
Former students are employed in research, industry and policy positions throughout the world.
The centre has three main research themes focussed on protecting the plant-based systems in New Zealand: pests and pathogens, biological controls, and biosecurity and invasion.
“The BPRC research is led by outstanding scientists who are leaders in their respective fields and the quality of their scientific work is highly respected,” says Bio-Protection Research Centre Director, Professor Travis Glare.
The funding gave financial security to the centre for the coming five years to continue to work very closely with other government organisations and industry, to develop novel bioprotection tools and solutions, Professor Glare said.
AgScience 