Synthetic plants funding

A £62.4 million programme to catalyse a new generation of major crops that are more productive, resilient, and sustainable.

ARIA (the UK’s Advanced Research and Innovation Agency) has launched a call for proposals to a funding programme around a vital opportunity to unlock new plant capabilities that can meet the future needs of humankind.

They aim to develop synthetic chromosomes and chloroplasts that are viable in a living plant. This will move beyond what can be accomplished with gene editing and imbue plants with new functionalities, from reducing agricultural water use to protecting crop yields in uncertain conditions.

A broad range of R&D Creators are sought, that ARIA will fund to:

• demonstrate that developing and implementing a functioning synthetic unit is possible, paving the way for progress in future decades
• overcome historic bottlenecks to breakthroughs in the overlap between synthetic and plant biology, specifically delivery of units to cells and maintenance of units in cells, to increase the number of plant varieties that can be transformed and sustained
• understand the ethical and social considerations around synthetic plants and what’s needed to navigate them

ARIA expects to allocate £62.4 million across this programme. In this phase they expect to allocate £44.5 million across nine Creator teams. Applications for smaller projects are also welcome.

Find out more about the Synthetic Plants funding call and how to apply.

First published 30 October 2024