Scottish Crop Research Institute

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The Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) is an agricultural research centre based at Invergowrie, near Dundee, employing over 350 staff. It has an income in excess of £13m, the majority from public funding. However, its corporate backing is disclosed neither on its website nor to enquirers.

However, it does provide a list of publications which bear the mark of their sponsorship, these include:

A Functional Approach to Modelling Biodiversity — sponsored by Rothamsted Research and Syngenta whose board includes Martin Taylor Michael Pragnell of Zeneca Group plc, Rupert Gasser is currently President of Nestec SA and Executive Vice President of Nestlé SA, Peter Doyle Non- Executive Director of Oxford Molecular plc (1997-2000), Director of Zeneca Group plc (1993-1999), Director of ICI (1989-1993) and as Chairman of the Biotechnology and Bioscience Research Council (1989-2003), Pierre Landolt, currently Chairman of the Sandoz Family Foundation, Peter Thompson currently a Director of Sodexho Alliance SA. Previously he was President and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Beverages International (1996-2004) and Jürg Witmer who held various General Management Positions within Roche.

L-Ascorbic Acid Accumulation in Blackcurrant Fruit: Ribes nigrum L. which (in microscopic point size) aknowledges the support of GlaxoSmithKline

Comparison of tuber proteomes of potato (Solanum sp.) varieties was supported GMOCARE an EU-funded investigation into the safety of genetically-modified (GM) food crops.

The SCRI was among the consortium of 3 Research Contractors (Rothamsted Research is another) who undertook the UK Government's £3M+ three-year programme of GM Crop Farm-Scale Evaluations.

The SCRI's director is Professor John Hillman who succeeded the SCRI's Acting Director, Mike Wilson. Both Hillman and Wilson are staunch advocates of GM crops. They even co-authored an article defending GM crops for a book edited by the far right free marketeers Julian Morris and Roger Bate.

Under Wilson and Hillman's direction the SCRI's promotion of itself and its science to the media and the public has become synoymous with the promotion of GM crops. In this they were assisted until his retirement by the SCRI's chief information officer, Bill Macfarlane Smith, who is also part of the biotech-industry funded lobby group CropGen, and who is still a Fellow of SCRI.

In 2000 Hillman used the SCRI's annual report to attack organic farming. This was widely publicised thanks to MacFarlane Smith and an SCRI press release:Leading expert reopens GM food debate (Scottish Crop Research Institute, Feb 2000).

The SCRI is a member of the BioIndustry Association, whose tagline is 'Encouraging and Promoting the Biotechnology Sector of the UK Economy'. John Hillman was formerly on its Board of Directors.


Commercial wing

The SCRI has a commercial wing, Mylnefield Research Services(MRS)which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCRI. It was established in 1989 to enhance "competitiveness, understand and fulfi l the needs of industry and maximise the value of SCRI intellectual property and resources." REF1 MRS benefits SCRI through annual Gift Aid and provision of services, without any external financial assistance.


Finances

The income of MRS increased to £1.99 million in 2005/2006 and MRS transferred £1.32 million to the SCRI Group, including £90K Gift Aid to the Mylnefield Trust and £125K Gift Aid to SCRI. Contract research (66%) is the largets contributor to income, followed by lipid analysis (15%) and royalties (10%).


Commercial research collaborations MRS develops longterm research collaborations with commercial partners through various schemes, including LINK projects.

MRS is involved in several LINK projects at SCRI:

- Work on pest control with the HDC, KG Growers Ltd, Bayer Crop Science Ltd,Waitrose Ltd, Cooperative Group Ltd, Berryworld Ltd, British Polythene Industries Ltd and East Malling Research (EMR). - Work on barley with Syngenta Seeds, Coors Brewers, [[Svalöf Weibull]] and the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. - Improving the Vitamin C levels in blackcurrant with GlaxoSmithKline plc, EMR and the HDC. Licensing and IP asset management Our IP portfolio is dominated by plant variety rights (55) but also includes fi ve patents and fi ve trademarks. We currently manage 490 licenses in 23 countries for potatoes, forage and salad rape, turnip, kale, blackcurrants, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry varieties. Varieties bred at SCRI are being trialled all over the world including Japan, China, Romania, Australia, Cuba and Egypt. During 2006, MRS started collecting royalties for the production of Glen Lyon raspberries (380 hectares) in southern Spain. Glen Lyon is the number one variety in Spain. Success resulted from our close collaboration with our agents Eurosemillas as well as UK multiple retailers, importers, propagators and the Spanish legal system. We are introducing new varieties into this important rewarding market. Spanish raspberry production complements that of the UK since it provides fruit to the UK consumer out of season. 67 New varieties Mayan Gold was launched in autumn 2006 by our partner Greenvale AP into two UK supermarkets. This was the fi rst time a variety of Solanum tuberosom Group Phureja, also known as S. phureja, was available to consumers and the launch received considerable national publicity. Since 2003 a consortium, including SEERAD and MRS, has been investing in the development of new and superior raspberry cultivars. In July 2006 at ‘Fruit for the Future’ we launched the fi rst variety (Glen Doll) from this programme. The swede Lomond was launched by our partners Nickerson Advanta Ltd at a trade show in Edinburgh during November 2006. Analytical services Mylnefi eld Lipid Analysis increased its business and held a successful workshop on omega-3 fatty acids in June 2006. A two day lecture course was held in October 2006 that attracted participants from a wide range of commercial and academic backgrounds. MRS, together with Dr Charlie Scrimgeour of SCRI, offers a stable isotope analysis service. This business has grown signifi cantly in recent years and is now a major contributor to turnover of MRS. Developing markets In March 2006, MRS led an Agricultural Trade Mission, organised by the China Britain Business Council (CBBC), to China and continued to concentrate its efforts on developing the Chinese potato and soft fruit markets. MRS has played a signifi cant role in facilitating the lifting of the export ban on UK seed potatoes to China – a bilateral trade agreement was signed in October 2006 for the export of UK mini-tubers to China. In October 2006 the SCRI director, Professor Peter Gregory, accompanied Dr Nigel Kerby to China where a Glen Doll further three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were MRS 68 signed with Chinese research organisations in the fi elds of environmental monitoring, plant and soil interactions and soil resilience. MRS was invited to join a ministerial Agri-Food Trade Mission to India (March 2006) to stimulate trade in the agri-food sector between India and the UK. India has more irrigated agricultural land than any other country in the world, is the world’s second largest producer of potatoes and fruits and a major producer of barley, so offers signifi cant opportunities for SCRI’s expertise and products. As a result of the mission, two proposals for funding with the Central Potato Research Institute in Shimla have been submitted and other opportunities for collaboration identifi ed in the areas of plant health, horticulture, micropropagation and barley breeding. Knowledge transfer and exploitation - MRS successfully coordinated a bid, on behalf of SCRI, with fi ve other research institutes for £2.5 million of seed funding from the Offi ce of Science and Technology to add to the £6 million Rainbow Seed Fund. MRS and SCRI now have access to seed funds for developing innovative products and services. - MRS, with Dundee and Abertay Universities and Dundee, Angus and Perth Colleges of Higher Education, established Tayside Knowledge Transfer Partnership with support from Scottish Enterprise Tayside. - In August 2006, the Dundee SME Innovation Portal was awarded £406k from the Scottish Executive SEEKIT programme as well as £198k ERDF funding. This new initiative brings together MRS (on behalf of SCRI), the two local universities, Scottish Enterprise Tayside and Dundee University Incubator Ltd. - In December 2006, MRS was awarded £180k from the Scottish Executive SEEKIT programme to enable Interface to extend its remit to include research institutes as well as universities. Interface provides a one-stop shop for companies wishing to access expertise and facilities available in Scotland. Acknowledgements MRS gratefully acknowledges the support of all SCRI staff, for their signifi cant contribution to the success of the company. MRS would also like to thank its customers and sponsors for their continued support. We would like to thank the non-executive Directors of MRS who contribute their valuable time without recompense. Mylnefi eld Trust and Mylnefi eld Holdings Ltd The Mylnefi eld Trust and Mylnefi eld Holdings Ltd (MHL) were established in 2000 in order to give the SCRI Group the fl exibility it requires to grow. Central to this growth is the creation of a number of spin-out companies, such as Scottish Potato Technology Ltd, in which MHL on behalf of the SCRI Group will hold equity. The Trust currently has funds of approximately £400K, achieved mainly through donations from MRS Ltd. The Trust has charitable status and has as its prime objectives: - to promote research and scientifi c work in the life, environmental and related sciences, in particular production of agricultural, horticultural and forestry crops, methods of limiting or eradicating pests and diseases, wood sciences and biomathematics, methods of increasing production or growth, improving cultivation and research into possible varieties. - to promote the dissemination of such research. To date the Trust has fi nancially supported: - a Research Incentive Fund; - an Educational Offi cer at SCRI; - a hardship fund for an overseas student; - various research projects valued at £48,751. During the fi nancial year 2006-07 The Mylnefi eld Trust is supporting three projects amounting to £7,552. Also during this fi nancial year The Mylnefi eld Trust is supporting scientifi c publications up to a value of £10,000.

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