YIF Blog: The Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge

Blog courtesy of  The Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge University

An informal get-together for Plant scientist and young Farmers

Discovering the importance of scientist/grower relationships, what’s taking place in plant growth facilities & the practical applications, and how to work with and inform the research taking place.

 See more images from the event

The launch of the Young Innovators’ Forum (YIF) was a great success in November 2015. Almost 100 farmers and Plant Sciences scientists met in an informal evening get-together in the Sainsbury Lab to start what we hope is the first of many gatherings to build a cohort of committed young agri-tech professionals, with a strong relevant network and an ability to build innovation-based partnerships and communicate effectively beyond their own discipline.

The programme  included  tours of the PGF led by Uta Paszkowski and the glasshouses hosted by John Carr and Zhengming Wang. David Schoepfer and Emily Chillingworth led tours of the research labs at Sainsbury Laboratory and the Algal Innovation Centre was shown by Matt Davey to its first visitors. The farmer visitors showed a lot of interest. Emma Kelcher, from the Cambridgeshire young farmers club, who organised the farmer element of the YIF said they had never had turn-out as large as that, so it was great to see so much interest in learning more about the research in Cambridge.

Thank you to Becky Dodds (Agri-Tech) and Emma Kelcher (Young Farmers Club)for being fundamental to the inception of this Forum. And thank you to all of you that were involved and  for being so inspiring! 

YIF has been catalysed by Agri-TechE in collaboration with CambPlants Hub and the Cambridgeshire Young Farmers Club focusing on PhD students and post docs at the research organizations in the East of England, and the early stage career producers (such as the management trainees at the larger producer businesses, or those destined to take over the family holding).  YIF is sponsored by the Morley Agricultural Foundation

For more information contact:

Becky Dods (Agri-Tech): becky.dodds@agritechenew.wpengine.com

Mariana Fazenda (CambPlants Hub): mariana.fazenda@cambplants.group.cam.ac.uk

Learning about biopesticides Fungal interactions in rice @AgriTechEast @plantsci @Cambsfyfc@beckyagritech #yif pic.twitter.com/ZYr3bH04xh

— CambPlants Hub (@CambPlants) November 25, 2015

Using LED lighting a major saving & better for plant @plantsci @AgriTechEast @Cambsfyfc@scienceisnotfun #yif

— CambPlants Hub (@CambPlants) November 25, 2015