Management and Networking


The network – mode of operation

Management:

The WGIN will comprise scientists from eight different organisations who between them represent the substantial majority of the UK’s expertise in wheat genetics and breeding. The Network’s activities will be managed through the Management Team comprising representatives from the partners (Rothamsted Research (RRes), the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the University of Nottingham (UoN)), Defra and with ex-officio representation from the ADAS, University of Bristol (UoB), NIAB, HGCA, BBSRC and all the UK-based plant breeding companies (see table below). From autumn 2009 Campden BRI will be represented at the management meetings also. The management team will be chaired by Professor Peter Shewry (RRes) and will meet three times each year. Each meeting will be in two parts, firstly the main meeting with all the funded partners and ex-officio representatives. Then in the follow up smaller meeting involving only the funded partners and an appointed sub-group of the ex-officio representatives will evaluate progress on all the project activities and milestones.
The management meetings are regularyly attended by each of the UK based wheat breeding companies (see table below). The wheat breeders are nominating one laboratory specialist and one field specialist on an annual basis to represent them at the smaller afternoon meeting. Peter Jack (RAGT, laboratory specialist) and David Feuerhelm (Syngenta, field specialist) have been nominated until the end of April 2010. Simon Berry (Nickerson-Advanta, laboratory specialist) and Peter Werner (KWS, field specialist) will function as deputies during this period.

UK Wheat Breeding Companies Logo Website
Elsom Seeds www.elsoms.com
KWS www.kws.de/aw/KWS/~tgy/united_kingdom
Limagrain www.limagrain.co.uk
RAGT www.ragt.co.uk
Saaten-Union www.saaten-union.co.uk
Syngenta www.syngenta-crop.co.uk

UK networking:

The WGIN has already established a close interaction with research centres in the UK engaged on genetic improvement of other cereal crops (barley and oats) and these will be maintained. In this context, WGIN members will help to co-organise an annual workshop on cereal genetics, genomics and breeding to ensure opportunities to achieve added value from shared knowledge and technology are not missed.

International networking activities:

The WGIN management team will continue to maintain close interactions with leading research groups in Europe, Australia, USA, China and Mexico (CIMMYT) to facilitate exchange of materials and information as well as create synergy and an opportunity for benchmarking. Where appropriate, the WGIN will exploit global activities in rice and Brachypodium genomics that are in the public domain to hasten achievement of some specific objectives such as gene isolation and marker development.

Access to WGIN resources:

The WGIN Management Team will pay particular attention to ensuring easy and unfettered access to materials and technologies that will most efficiently allow commercial production of wheat genotypes carrying traits that can be expected to impact significantly on agricultural sustainability.