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| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/G039496/1 |
| Title: |
RCUK-DST India Science Bridge: Sustainable Indo-UK Agricultural Initiative |
| Principal Investigator: |
Dr PE Urwin |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-investigator: |
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| Project Partner: |
| Indian Agricultural Research Institute |
Indian Institute of Science Bangalore |
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| Department: |
Ctr for Plant Sciences |
| Organisation: |
University of Leeds |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
03 August 2009 |
Ends: |
02 August 2013 |
Value (£): |
866,456
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Environment |
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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10 Nov 2008
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RCUK Science Bridges Awards
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Announced
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Summary |
This proposal aims to enhance existing interactions to exploit and develop advances in biotechnology applicable in an agricultural context. A sustainable Indo-UK agriculture initiative will build on strong existing research links between the University of Leeds, an Indian research university (IISc) and an agricultural institute (Indian agricultural research institute IARI). Importantly, it also involves collaboration and interaction with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), to widen the applicability of the research to in semi-arid peninsular and western India where climate change is likely to have its largest impact. This consortium combines UK and Indian research excellence in a complete pipeline from basic science to new crop development and deployment.
Plant parasitic nematodes represent one of the major biotic constraints in world agriculture causing global yield losses of $125b annually. Control often depends on nematicides that are harmful to the environment and a risk to human health. The UK partners have developed three different technologies for producing nematode resistant crops. Resistant crops that are pertinent to Indian agriculture have been developed and these technologies will be applied to other crops. The potential impact of the technology on the environment will be evaluated using methodologies that the partner institutions have developed. Non-target soil nematodes are an indicator of soil health. We will use a new high throughput molecular tool, termed "bar coding" that facilitates identification of all soil nematodes as a measure of soil health. The partners in the collaboration will evaluate the consequences of nematode resistance technologies on the structure and dynamics of above- and below-ground food webs, trophic interactions, and energy and nutrient cycling. This development of established science will lay the foundation for future commercial exploitation. The application describes the technology we have developed to alleviate one biotic stress but in the future we will expand on the model to exploit other technologies that are currently in development. We will do this under the frame work that this application will set in place.
Issues surrounding the commercial potential of the collaboration will be explored by discussions with the technology transfer company that represents the University of Leeds, IP-Group. IP-Group will form a separate company to evaluate the commercial deployment, in India, of the technology we have developed and shown through part of this application to be environmentally benign.
In addition to these strategic aims the initiative will facilitate a two-way interaction between Indian and UK basic science and applied agriculture in India and beyond. This will be of great benefit in both targeting existing basic science towards translational research and in bringing an awareness of agricultural challenges to basic scientists, with all the attendant benefits for future product development that this will bring.
We will initiate a programme of inter-related PhD awards hosted across all the institutes both in India and the U.K. The studentships will be organised in a coherent series of projects. Students registered in the U.K. will gain first hand insight and awareness of the need for translational and strategic research. Students aligned with Indian institutions will benefit from training in the U.K. research environment. These interactions will ensure that the Indo-U.K collaborations will grow as the students develop their academic careers into the future.
Movement of Ph.D. students will ensure an informal flow of communication around the members of the collaboration. Formal and regular meetings will also take place between all the co-PIs involved in the application. Travel of personnel between institutions forms a strong component of this application.
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| Final Report Summary |
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No final report summary is available for this grant.
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.leeds.ac.uk |
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