The James Hutton Institute has been awarded £1 million by the Wolfson Foundation for equipment to support a new Molecular Phenotyping Centre. The Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities, and the arts.
Our researchers will use the phenotyping equipment to understand how different environmental conditions affect plants at the molecular level. This knowledge can then be used to inform crop-based solutions to sustainable food, energy, and environmental security.
Professor Colin Campbell, CEO of The James Hutton Institute, said: “We are very grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for this funding, which will be used in setting up the Hutton Molecular Phenotyping Centre at our site in Invergowrie.
“Aligning with the funding we have received from the Tay Cities Deal, this new Centre, with its technology, will enable us to have the unrivaled ability to create, translate and apply science for the benefit of all.”
Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “The James Hutton Institute is recognized as a global leader in crop science, with an impressive track record of innovations that have been widely adopted in plant breeding and agriculture.
“It is a huge pleasure to be announcing Wolfson’s first-ever grant to the Institute as they expand their much-needed research into sustainable food production, which will help to tackle the ugly challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.”
In its latest round of awards, the Foundation has awarded over £19 million in grants to capital projects – buildings, refurbishments, and equipment. Some of the other projects to be awarded funding include hospices and historic buildings, laboratories and a supported living accommodation, classrooms, and a cathedral.
Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded by the Foundation to more than 12,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
