Visions for Copenhagen Plant Science Centre

 

 

The vision for basic research at Copenhagen Plant Science Centre (CPSC) is to combine a spectrum of research efforts to understand, augment and harness the unique properties plants have evolved with respect to molecular processes and ecological plasticity. CPSC will create new knowledge on complex functions of plants - as individual organisms and in crop populations - by exploiting new interfaces with genomics, bioinformatics, biochemistry, chemistry, biophysics and nano-science. The knowledge will be used in optimizing primary plant productivity and form the basis for synthetic biology in higher plants. 

 

The CPSC visions for basic research

• To use synthetic biology to exploit plant systems diversity and identify and characterize biological components that, upon reassembly into new combinations, enables the design and synthesis of structurally complex chemicals or systems with desired new properties. 
• To facilitate the development of plants as efficient green factories to produce polymers and fine chemicals.
• To gain fundamental knowledge that can be exploited in molecular breeding to develop crops with stable or increased yields under adverse growth conditions.
• To develop new production systems in the form of in vitro immobilized biological systems, or cells and organisms engineered with plant pathways that serve the needs of society.
• To increase the yield and sustainability of plant production by optimizing resource use efficiency and population performance.

The vision for recruitment of young researchers

Our aim is to foster gifted inter-disciplinary students and researchers to drive future innovation. CPSC will bring their talents to a team that transforms new ideas into useful results. Existing and future groups in CPSC are expected to serve as a magnet that attracts basic and innovative investigators to facilitate the development of new professional interactions and research agenda. It is anticipated that this new institutional arrangement between SCIENCE, LIFE and PHARMA will foster development of new frontiers of science that will be much broader and have deeper impact than classical domains of research. Thus, CPSC should have the consolidated resources to nurture research within the main research areas. 

 

The vision for teaching and education

CPSC will actively participates in and continuously develop first class teaching at all levels (B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D.) within current education programs at University of Copenhagen (biology, biochemistry, biology-biotechnology, agronomy, forestry and natural resources) and offers excellent and international research environment for post doctoral fellows. CPSC wants to produce highly qualified candidates that fulfil the needs of the plant biotechnology industry and agriculture. 

Visions for industrial applications and interaction with industry

CPSC will provide space for an incubator in which researchers and industry can meet. The incubator should promote new interactions by providing high quality wet-lab space at market price supplemented with access to shared equipment and access to technology platforms. The incubator should also provide specialized or tailor made education and training for biotechnologists. An incubator structure will be important for potential spin-outs from CPSC.