$11.95m for research centre at University of Sydney’s PBI

New laboratories and facilities will be developed at the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute in a development expected to create 40 research positions in addition to construction work.

Almost $10 million ($9.45m) in state government funding towards the $11.95 million centre was announced by Deputy Premier John Barilaro when he visited the shire this week. The new facility will include genetic and agronomy laboratories, a modern office and digital and robotic workspaces that will help attract new research opportunities and support the 40,000 field plots that grow the crops being researched.

Partnering with the university and state government in the development is the NSW Wheat Research Foundation and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Sydney Institute of Agriculture director professor Alex McBratney paid tribute to the development’s co-investors and said the investment is a wonderful reaffirmation by the NSW government of the long-term importance of science and its role in the regeneration of agriculture and regional communities.

“The University of Sydney has 60 years of scientific effort at Narrabri. The new International Crop and Digital Agricultural Research Centre will ensure a strong and lasting future for cutting-edge agricultural research and industry outreach,” he said.

“This new building and investment heralds a strong and lasting future for transformational world-beating agricultural research and outreach in this pre-eminent agricultural region.”

Mr Barilaro said the state had seen the devastating impacts that this record drought has had on farmers and communities across regional areas and the research that will be undertaken at this new facility will help boost the state’s resilience to future dry spells.

“This research will centre around adapting crops for drought tolerance, providing food security solutions and boosting productivity of farmers,” he said.

Grains Research Development Corporation chair John Woods said an additional $1 million had been invested on behalf of grain growers in partnership with NSW government, while the University of Sydney and Wheat Research Foundation had contributed another $1.5 million to improve and expand the vital research facilities.

“We appreciate the NSW government recognising the need for an industry-led approach to improving and expanding the research capacity of the IA Watson Centre, one of the state’s oldest, most strategically important and successful centres,” he said.

“With our long-standing relationships with each partner, we are pleased to contribute to this opportunity where, on behalf of our growers, we can co-invest in a $12 million facility, and deliver long-term research outcomes in northern NSW and benefit Australian grain growers.

“The continued development of this state-of-the-art research centre will encourage collaboration between researchers, growers and other industry stakeholders and play an integral part in helping the grains sector meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.”

Chair of the Wheat Research Foundation Rob Long said the announcement was exciting for the shire and the state’s farming community.