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| ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture | |
|---|---|
| Name | ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture |
| Established | 2020 |
| Type | Research centre |
| Location | Australia |
| Director | Professor Steven Djordjevic |
| Affiliations | Australian Research Council |
ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture is a multi-institutional research centre focused on improving plant resilience and productivity in both natural ecosystems and agricultural systems. The centre brings together expertise from universities, research institutes, and industry to address challenges related to climate change, biodiversity, and food security through integrative plant science. Its work spans molecular biology, ecology, genomics, and translational research aimed at delivering outcomes for stakeholders including farmers, conservation agencies, and policy bodies.
The Centre integrates researchers from institutions such as The University of Melbourne, The University of Western Australia, The University of Queensland, Australian National University, and Monash University with partners including CSIRO, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (Australia), Grains Research and Development Corporation, and Australian Seed Federation. It leverages collaborations with international organisations such as Kew Gardens, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, John Innes Centre, Max Planck Society, and CNRS to align Australian plant science with global priorities. The Centre’s leadership draws on networks including Australian Academy of Science, Royal Society, Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, Global Plant Council, and Food and Agriculture Organization.
The Centre was established following a successful bid to the Australian Research Council under the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme, building on precedents like ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. Founding partners included research organisations such as CSIRO, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and universities noted above, and it was conceived amid national initiatives such as the National Innovation and Science Agenda and responses to events like the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season and international frameworks including the Paris Agreement and Convention on Biological Diversity. Key figures involved in its establishment include senior academics associated with Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowships and fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Research is organised around themes linking molecular mechanisms to ecosystem outcomes, mirroring approaches used at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, John Innes Centre, Rothamsted Research, and INRAE. Themes include plant stress physiology, root–soil interactions, plant–microbe symbioses, and evolutionary ecology, employing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9, RNA sequencing, genome-wide association studies, and high-throughput phenotyping platforms similar to those at Australian Plant Phenomics Facility and EMBL. Programmes emphasize translation to crop improvement pipelines used by organisations like GRDC and breeding programs at CSIRO Agriculture and Food and seed companies such as BASF and Syngenta. The Centre uses modelling frameworks comparable to those from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments and ecological models developed at CSIRO Land and Water.
Primary funding is provided by the Australian Research Council with co-investment from partner universities and agencies including CSIRO and industry partners like Grains Research and Development Corporation and private-sector collaborators including Bayer and Corteva. Strategic alliances extend to conservation agencies such as Parks Australia, botanical institutions like Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and international funders associated with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and multilateral programs linked to World Bank initiatives in agricultural development. Governance involves advisory input from representatives of Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and oversight mechanisms akin to those in other Centres of Excellence funded by the ARC.
The Centre utilises facilities at partner nodes, including laboratory infrastructure at The University of Melbourne, glasshouse and field sites coordinated with The University of Western Australia, genomic platforms at The University of Queensland, and controlled environment facilities at Monash University. It partners with national facilities such as the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, National Imaging Facility, and the Australian Genome Research Facility, and draws on collections held by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and Australian National Herbarium. Internationally, collaborative access to resources exists with Kew Gardens, John Innes Centre, and Max Planck Institutes.
Notable projects span development of climate-resilient crop traits, mapping of root architecture variation, and elucidation of plant–microbe networks relevant to restoration ecology. Outputs include genomic resources comparable to those produced by The 1000 Genomes Project and datasets interoperable with platforms like Dryad, and model advances influenced by research traditions at Rothamsted Research and John Innes Centre. The Centre contributes to national recovery efforts following the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season and informs policy discussions around vegetation management in forums such as the National Climate Science Advisory Committee and submissions to the Australian Parliament.
The Centre delivers postgraduate training linked to universities including The University of Melbourne, Monash University, The University of Queensland, and Australian National University, offering PhD scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships modeled on Australian Research Council Future Fellowships and NHMRC career pathways. Outreach programs engage public institutions such as Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, citizen science platforms like Atlas of Living Australia, and school engagement through partnerships with CSIRO STEM Professionals in Schools. Professional development for industry occurs via short courses co-designed with Grains Research and Development Corporation and workshops aligned with standards from Plant Health Australia.
The Centre’s work has been recognized through collaborations and citations in policy reports by bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, contributions to national strategies like the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, and partnerships with industry leaders in seed science. Awards and honours achieved by investigators include fellowships from the Australian Academy of Science, competitive grants from the Australian Research Council, and invited contributions to international fora such as COP (Conference of the Parties). The Centre continues to shape research agendas linking biodiversity conservation and agricultural innovation across Australian and international networks.
Category:Research institutes in Australia