Rijk Zwaan and Technology Foundation STW have today signed the official agreement to work together over the course of the next five years on a scientific research programme entitled ‘Meiosis, managing meiotic recombination in plant breeding’. The aim of the programme is to garner knowledge to enable even more efficient development of new varieties with an optimal combination of natural characteristics.

The programme is backed by 3 million euro in funding, of which half is being provided by Technology Foundation STW and half by Rijk Zwaan. The programme will take the form of an ‘STW-Partnership’ – an STW initiative which aims to promote effective collaboration between Dutch academia and the industry. Universities are invited to submit proposals for research projects, which are then assessed by a programme committee – comprising representatives from the company concerned and independent experts from abroad appointed by STW – and selected based on peer reviews. The STW executive board subsequently provides funding for the highest-ranking research proposals based on the programme committee’s decision. By encouraging collaboration on programme level rather than merely on project level, the approach is ultimately expected to generate better-quality research results.

Cornerstone of plant breeding
The research programme is focused on studying the process of meiosis and meiotic recombination. This complex process, much of which is still not fully understood, forms the most important cornerstone of classic plant breeding and ensures that the natural characteristics of both parents are combined together during crossing.

The programme’s call for proposals period runs from 3rd October up to and including 13th December 2011. More details about the programme plan and submitting proposals can be found on http://www.stw.nl/programmas/rijkzwaan The research programme is in line with the Dutch government’s current initiative to further stimulate the horticultural sector, called ‘Topsector Tuinbouw en Uitgangsmaterialen’, and the new ‘Agro Food and Horticulture’ theme of the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Photo: Ben Tax, Director of Rijk Zwaan (left), and Eppo Bruins, Director of STW, sign the agreement.