James Hutton Institute secures £2.4m in funding for trailblazing research projects
Projects include medical cannabis standardisation, vertical farming light technology and genetic optimisation of lettuce.
Pioneering medicinal cannabis research is set to take place in Dundee after the James Hutton Institute secured £350k funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
An additional £867k funding was also secured for two further projects; light pulsing technologies in vertical farming (£305K), and developing genetic tools to accelerate breeding for indoor-grown lettuce (£562k). Support from industry partners totaling £1.22m for these projects brings the total value for the projects to £2.4m.
All three projects will take place at the Institute’s newly-established Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC), situated at its Invergowrie site. The APGC is part of the Tay Cities Regional Deal partnership supported by £45m from the UK Government and £17m from the Scottish Government. The APGC combines five core facilities, interconnected but independent, to facilitate scientific innovation and discovery.
The three multi-year initiatives are designed to transform horticultural practice and utilise modern breeding approaches to further new products and services. They also have a focus on sustainability, advanced pharmaceutical applications and genetic research.
Derek Stewart, Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre, hopes that these projects will keep the Institute at the forefront of scientific research in the UK, furthering its already renowned reputation.
“Research at the APGC will also see our team prove vital in the future food security and sustainability of this nation through our vertical farming project. We hope the success of these projects will be felt for many years to come”
Derek Stewart, The Advanced Plant Growth Centre
He said: “Both CE-CannPharm and LightPuls-VF are exciting projects for the James Hutton Institute team to be involved with.
“Medicinal cannabis is an increasingly important remedy and is becoming key in alleviating degenerative and neurodegenerative/dysfunctional diseases. We will play an important role in furthering pharmaceutical quality of these plants, reinforcing the UK’s importance on the world stage.
“Research at the APGC will also see our team prove vital in the future food security and sustainability of this nation through our vertical farming project. We hope the success of these projects will be felt for many years to come. We also thank our partners Glass Pharms Ltd and Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltds for their support.”
Find out more about the projects by visiting the APGC site here.
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Gregor Millar: gregor@clarkcommunications.co.uk, 07515876303
