BBSRC Strategic Plan 2010 - 2015:
The Age of Bioscience
Driven by new tools
and technologies
….never before have
researchers been able to
address such a breadth
and depth of biological
questions….
World-class bioscience
Three major strategic science priorities
Three crucial enabling themes
Three major strategic science priorities
© www.micrographia.com
2011
Hemera © Thinkstock 2011
Food Security
(Grand Challenges)
Bioenergy and
Industrial
Biotechnology
iStockphoto © Thinkstock 2011
Basic bioscience
underpinning health
Three crucial enabling themes
© Jupiter Images Corporation 2010
KE, innovation and
skills
Exploiting new ways of
working
Partnerships
The Delivery Plan is guided by six core principles:
• Maintaining excellence in bioscience
• Meeting UK and global bioscience ‘grand challenges’
• Transforming delivery and driving efficiency
• Powering economic recovery and growth in the new bioeconomy
• Ensuring a supply of highly skilled people
• Underpinning national security
Maintaining excellence in bioscience
• Protect responsive mode: balanced portfolio of funding
mechanisms
• More strategic focus: societal and economic Grand Challenges
• Fewer initiatives: unless with leverage…. more highlight notices
• Excellent people: skills development and careers
• New ways of working: Data intensive and multidisciplinary
bioscience
• Infrastructure and capability: e.g. institutes as national facilities
BBSRC fund research in Universities and
Institutes
1:2
Institutes
•
•
•
•
Mostly strategic
research
Mission orientated
Longer-term funding
(5yr programmes)
specialist facilities
and capabilities
Universities
•
around
£140
M p.a.
•
around
£260
M p.a.
•
•
© Institute For Animal Health 2009
Basic and strategic
research
Curiosity driven /
aligned to university
strategy
Short and long-term
funding (1-5yr grants)
specialist facilities and
capabilities
Some
BBSRC priorities
Food
Security
• GFS programme: Joining up research through BBSRC
leadership
• Position UK as a Global leader in wheat:
 Wheat genome 5x coverage
 £7M for public wheat pre-breeding programme (sLoLa award)
• Reducing GHG emissions from Agriculture: Living with Env.
Change (LWEC)
• Transformational research: enhancing photosynthesis
• Underpinning the livestock sector: productivity,
sustainability, health and welfare
Hemera © Thinkstock
2011
Hemera © Thinkstock 2011
Hemera © Thinkstock 2011
Michael Blann/Digital Vision, © Thinkstock
Hemera Technologies © Getty Images 2011
© Jupiter Images
iStockphoto © Thinkstock 201
BBSRC Strategic Priorities
Food security*
•
•
•
•
•
Crop science
Animal health
Livestock production
Soil science and agri-systems approaches
Healthy and safe food
9
Recent Calls
• FACCE JPI pilot action: ‘A detailed climate change risk
assessment for European agriculture and food security’
• Ecology of infectious diseases
• Effects of environmental change on the soil-water
interface: Implications for food production and water
supply
• EMIDA ERA-Net (Emerging and Major Infectious
Diseases of Livestock)
• Sustainable Crop Production Research for International
Development
10
The BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC)
Fuel
ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
Perennial
Bioenergy
Crops
Cell Wall Sugars
Angela Karp
(Rothamsted)
• Newcastle University
• Novozymes A/G
• IBERS
• Imperial College
• University of
Cambridge
• Ceres Inc
£20 million
plus
£4 million
industrial
support
Paul Dupree
(Cambridge)
Cell Wall Lignin
Claire Halpin
(Dundee)
•
•
•
•
•
•
University of York
SCRI
RERAD
Limagrain UK Ltd
Syngenta
AgroParisTec – INRA
joint Research Unit of
Biological Chemistry
Second Generation, Sustainable,
Bacterial Biofuels
Nigel Minton (Nottingham)
• Newcastle University
• TMO Renewables Ltd
Marine
Wood Borer
Enzyme Discovery
Lignocellulosic Conversion to
Bioethanol
Simon McQueenMason
(York)
• University of Bath
• University of Surrey
• BP
• Bioethanol Ltd
• Briggs of Burton
• British Sugar Ltd
• Coors Brewers Ltd
• DSM
• Ethanol Technology Ltd • HGCA
• Pursuit Dynamics
• SABMiller
• Scottish Whisky Research Institute
• University of
Portsmouth
• Syngenta Biomass
Traits Group
Katherine Smart (Nottingham)
Advanced Training Partnerships (ATPs; £12.7M/5 years)
Aberystwyth
University
Royal Veterinary
College
University of
Nottingham
University of
Reading
(C. Newbold)
(S. May)
(J. Roberts)
(C. Williams)
Advanced Training in
Intensive Livestock
Health and
Production
Establishment of a
Strategic Training
Hub for the
Advancement of the
UK Agri-Food
Industry
Food Quality and
Health – Sustaining
the Future
Partnering with
Cambridge, Edinburgh
(Roslin), Newcastle,
Kent, plus Aviagen,
Pfizer, Vion
Partnering with Harper
Adams, Rothamsted
(Brooms Barn),
Cranfield, plus
Campden BRI, BASF,
Masstock, Waitrose,
Bakkavor
Partnering with
Rothamsted,
Birmingham and, via
Leatherhead Food
Research, British Sugar,
Danisco, National Milk
Research, PepsiCo,
Sainsbury’s
ATP for Sustainable
and Efficient Food
Production
Partnering with Bangor
and NIAB, plus
Waitrose, White Gold,
Velcourt
Enhancing photosynthesis
• Ides Lab - 5-day intensive workshop that aims to develop
multidisciplinary, transformative, and high-risk high-reward
proposals
• Outline proposals continually refined through ‘real time’
peer review by respected academics
• A select number of high-quality outlines have been invited to
submit full proposals – over $8M available
• Parallel standard BBSRC initiative on enhancing photosynthesis £2M available
Sustainable Crop Production Research for
International Development (SCPRID)
All Projects
•Must include at least one UK partner and one from a Developing Country
•Assessed for Scientific Excellence, Development Relevance and Research Capacity
Building
•
Standard Research Grant (SRG)
• Led by PI from any eligible
institution
• Project duration: ≤ 5 years
• May include PhD studentships
• Funding does not cover PI
salary
– Projects for Emerging Agricultural
Research Leaders (PEARLs)
•
Led by early-mid career SSA/S.Asia
PEARL Fellow
• Project duration: = 4 years
• No funding for PhD
studentships
• Funding covers PI salary
BBSRC international activity
• Developing Countries
– Already two successful initiatives with DfID (SARID and CIDLID)
– Launched third SCPRID Jan 2011 (with Gates and Indian Govt)
• Europe
– Joint Programming Initiative: BBSRC-lead with INRA on Agriculture, Food
Security and Climate Change
– Shaping FP8
• Agricultural ‘superpowers’
– Collaboration with NSF on enhancing photosynthesis
– Further exploring opportunities with Brazil
FACCE JPI - Joining Forces in Europe in Agriculture, Food
Security and Climate Change
Globalisation
Trade liberalisation
Market instability
Rising food demand
Population rise
Changing food habits
Urbanisation
Food security
Food access, utilisation
& availability
Governing Board
led by INRA/BBSRC
20 countries participating
2 reps / country + EC
€5000 entry fee / country
Consuming
Retailing & Distributing
Processing & Packaging
Producing
Crops
Livestock
Grasslands
Natural resources
Aquaculture
Forestry
Biomass
Adaptation
FACCE JPI
Agriculture
Planetary boundaries
Land & water limits
GHG limits,
limits, Contaminants limits
Peak oil,
oil, Peak phosphorus
Mitigation
Water vapour
Aerosols
Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific Research Agenda on
web: www.faccejpi.com
5 core themes, being further
developed
Albedo
GHG emissions
Carbon sinks
Climate change
Global environ. change
Disturbed C and N cycles
Soil degradation,
degradation, Biodiversity loss
€2M EC project
led by INRA/BBSRC
research & strategic agenda,
mapping, implementation,
communication, future
FACCE-JPI Secretariat INRA/BBSRC
Pilot Action July 2011
Knowledge Hub
Joint Programming brings a new dimension to European
research by aligning national programmes in participating
countries around grand societal challenges.
“A detailed climate change risk
assessment for European
agriculture and food security’
Global Food
Security
Programme
Global Food Security
The challenge for agriculture
Need:
50% more production on less
land, with less water, using
less energy, fertiliser and
pesticide …
…by 2030
… whilst not increasing GHG
emissions
Is there really a problem?
Population
Food
Waste reduction
including on farm, post harvest
and consumer
Technology adoption
Better management
Food production/supply
1980
2010
Climate change
GHG targets
Changing diets
Energy
Fertiliser costs
Nutrient costs
Land use
Land availability
Water
Biodiversity
Ban on chemicals 2050
By 2030:
Agricultural production
More people means less cultivated land per person for food, feed, (agro)-fuel
and fibre production
2030 – 8.3 bn people
2030?
Food: from agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries to processing, consumer affairs and diet
Effects of the climate change
on agriculture & aquaculture;
water and land use; and
biodiversity
Global commodities
markets and world trade
policies
Competition and synergies with biofuels and
biorenewables; and effects of energy prices
on food
Food Centric Issues
Environment
Economics,
politics and
social
Energy
Food
Emerging
technologies
Human Health
Research &
development
Nutritional
requirements
linked to health
Nanotechnology
in agri-food
Industry
Underpinning biology,
chemistry, economics,
engineering and social
science
•
Increasing populations and demand on food
•
Competition for agricultural land from multiple
sources: industry, housing, leisure
•
Increasing costs and impacts of global food
distribution networks
•
Changes of diet in key developing nations (change
to higher protein/meat diets)
•
Potential impact of global pandemics of animal or
plant diseases and new emerging diseases
•
Food safety, including pathogens and toxins
•
Public attitudes to food and farming (e.g. GM,
organic food, pesticides, greater ethical treatment
of animals, food costs)
•
Food waste, at farm, processing and in the home
•
Understanding personal nutrition for health or
survival
•
Changing requirements of food supply linked to
changing demographics
•
Biofortification of crops to improve nutrition
•
Environment, sustainability and resource use
Natural
Environment
Research
BBSRC
NERC
MRC
ESRC
EPSRC
Defra
DfID
FSA
Scot.Gov
DH
TSB
Agri-Food
Research
Production Manufacture Distribution
Consumer
Health
Food related
Disease
Programme Themes
Sustainable, affordable, safe, healthy food
1.
Economic
Resilience
2.
Resource
Efficiency
3.
Sustainable
production
and supply
Sustainable ecosystems;
reducing GHG and waste
Innovation
Skills
Infrastructure; International
User engagement and communication
4.
Sustainable,
healthy, safe
diets
Agri-ecosystems priority
= research towards developing an understanding of the
interactions of the multiple elements of an agricultural system and
the broader natural environment, to inform predictive and/or
adaptive strategies to sustainably manage and balance agricultural
production and ecosystem services (e.g. biodiversity).
- Whole system analyses (problems not shifted elsewhere)
- Includes water and energy interactions and costs
- Brings together expertise of natural, biological and
social/economic sciences
- Predicting how strategies can impact on the whole system
essential for policy makers (Defra, EA) and landscape managers
(farmers!). How do we decide what services to prioritise, where
and when? Effective management of tradeoffs.
- Central importance of soil science and rhizosphere interactions
Interfaces with other programmes
• UK, EU, World
context
• Growing
population
• Changing
demographics
• Agricultural
efficiency
• Aquaculture
• World trade
• Transport
• Post harvest
losses
• Food processing
• Food choice
• Retail
Reducing ‘energy’
inputs across the
food supply chain.
New sources of
energy and
competition for land.
Impact of environmental
change on water and
food security
Energy
LWEC
Lifelong
Health and
Wellbeing
Sustainable, safe
and nutritious food
supply. Diet and health.
Food
Security
Global
Uncertainties
Improving security of food supply
in developing countries to increase
prosperity and societal and political
stability