Efforts to address rising global food demand were under the spotlight at the launch of the ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding at The University of Queensland on Friday.
The Centre will train the next wave of experts in plant and animal breeding in collaboration with industry due to a combined investment of $13 million from the Australian Research Council (ARC), five Australian universities and 31 partner organisations.
More than 90 industry and research experts attended the launch where panel discussions highlighted the challenges facing plant and animal breeding industries – a sector that is vital to boosting productivity and sustainability on farms.
Centre Director Professor Lee Hickey said he is excited to begin addressing the critical shortage of highly skilled plant and animal breeders.
“With 39 research projects being co-developed with industry, this is a unique training opportunity for early career researchers who will be immersed in industry through placements, in-person training workshops and online courses,” Professor Hickey said.
Led by The University of Queensland, the first-of-its-kind Centre will work with experts from The University of Western Australia, La Trobe University, The University of New England, the University of Wollongong and its partner organisations that include state government departments working on agriculture and fisheries, to build capacity for more than 20 agriculturally important species or commodities produced in Australia.
Federal Assistant Minister for Education and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Anthony Chisholm, said this initiative will further the sector’s collaboration with some of the country’s best researchers.
“Finding new ways to boost agricultural output is a top priority for the Albanese Government, and increasing collaboration between researchers and industry through this Centre is the most effective way we can make that happen.”
Assistant Minister Chisholm commended the ARC’s ongoing commitment to making research more accessible to a wide range of industries across Australia.
“As we’ve seen in the medical and engineering space, linking up researchers with industry is one of the best ways to address some of our most challenging problems.”
ARC Executive Director Professor Alastair McEwan said the Centre would foster opportunity for High Degree Research candidates.
“This will equip this future workforce with cutting-edge skills and knowledge to address real-world challenges and ensure that Australian industries stay competitive and sustainable.”
The Centre’s first PhD student, Mitchell Eglinton will be based at LongReach Plant Breeders in Adelaide working on a project to better understand the limitations of genomic selection.
“Current genomic selection approaches in plant breeding are not optimized for predicting cross-combination performance,” he said.
“My project aims to develop advanced simulation models for combining ability that can predict average yield and variability in offspring populations, leading to more efficient breeding programs.”
Professor Hickey said the innovative breeding technologies generated by the Centre will be critical for Australia to maintain its position as a global leader in agriculture.
You can find out more information about the ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding here.
