GARNet 2020

GARNet provides leadership and coordination to UK scientists carrying out basic plant science research. A united, forward-looking and well-connected basic plant science research base underpins progress in crop science, agronomy, agriculture and the plant-based biomaterials and bioenergy industries. This role is therefore now more necessary than ever given the importance of plant science in meeting global grand challenges in the production of food, feed, fibre and fuel using diminishing resources of land and fresh water.

Our main aims are to support UK plant scientists by:

- Equipping them with the right skills and resources to take on new ways of working in science, including using large sequencing datasets, large-scale image analysis, and multi-scale predictive biology.

- Promoting connections and collaborations between basic plant scientists and the agriculture, bioenergy and biotechnology end-user communities.

- Managing and extending GARNet communication platforms to promote knowledge exchange within the community and to be a single point of contact for external parties.

Concrete outcomes of the proposed work will be raised awareness of large data management, imaging technologies, and multi-scale modelling approaches to plant science, and training in these areas at workshops and conferences throughout the grant term. We expect to run other events as required by the community, which is represented to GARNet administration by the GARNet Advisory Committee. These events will be followed up with expert FAQ pages on the GARNet website. Public pages on synthetic biology, open access and next generation sequencing for plant science are also planned.

Activities in the above areas will be of direct benefit to basic plant scientists, from post-graduate students to senior academic staff, who will gain access to any resources, training and connections they need to further and apply their research. GARNet will be their link to key resource providers, negotiating and simplifying access to resources including high performance computing power, microarray and sequencing services. Plant scientists from all backgrounds will also be able to use GARNet community networking platforms freely to share news and promote their work.

GARNet will benefit funders of UK plant science, principally BBSRC, by adding value to the funding they put into the plant research community. GARNet events, website, mailing list and newsletter all help promote effective and efficient working across the research community and encourage knowledge exchange and collaboration. In addition, representatives from industry and publishing are connected to our social media and attend our events, increasing global exposure of UK research and promoting industry-academic collaborations and other mechanisms of maximising the impact of research.

GARNet is the UK network that aims to support and integrate the Arabidopsis and the wider basic plant science community and is run by an elected committee of researchers from across the UK. This application is to continue GARNet's role in supporting its user community, thereby adding value to BBSRC-funded research and helping ensure that the full impact potential of the UK plant science research base is achieved. This role will evolve to support and promote capacity-building for new developing areas of research including synthetic and predictive biology, supporting and enabling access to high performance computing power for UK plant scientists, and promoting translation of fundamental plant science research. In particular, GARNet will liaise with relevant groups and facilitate activities to ensure the plant science research community is:

- Equipped for the big data and other new technology challenges. We will seek to equip plant researchers with the resources, knowledge and skills they need to effectively use next generation sequencing, large scale modelling, and imaging and phenotyping approaches.

- Equipped to apply their research to new areas including synthetic biology, digital organisms, industrial biotechnology and bioenergy. We will support the building of relationships with relevant groups and highlight collaborative opportunities.

GARNet will deliver these overarching aims through mechanisms which include:

- Running and co-hosting sponsored training workshops and focused meetings, conferences and networking events to encourage interactions between the plant research community and the agri-technology and bioenergy industries.

- Working with relevant groups to leverage national and international cyberinfrastructure for the plant research community.

- Acting as a communication hub for representing the Arabidopsis and fundamental plant science research community to resource providers, and international groups and policy oriented bodies.

Beneficiaries include plant and crop scientists, BBSRC and other funding bodies, science engagement professionals and the general public. They will benefit variously though the coordination and integration role of GARNet, through the increased access that GARNet provides to new technologies and approaches, through the information GARNet provides via various channels in the dissemination of research and its understanding, and as a consequence of the general support for plant science research and its application.

For plant scientists doing fundamental research:
- GARNet promotes access and uptake of new technologies and approaches in plant science research. GARNet provides information and training, and works with providers to help facilitate accessibility. Particular targets over the next 5 years are high-throughput sequencing and other emerging technologies, and meeting the challenges of "big data" and integrated multiscale modelling.
- GARNet also seeks to support plant scientists engaging in new areas of research, such as industrial biotechnology, bioenergy, and synthetic biology. Over the next 5 years, GARNet will work to support the building of an active and vibrant plant synthetic biology research community in the UK.
- GARNet acts to represent and integrate UK plant science, providing a community-driven focus for collective activities. GARNet will represent the basic plant research community to the wider scientific community in the UK and globally. GARNet will work to raise the profile of UK plant science, and ensure the views and needs of the community are known to UK and European policy makers via the UK Plant Sciences Federation and the Society for Experimental Biology respectively. GARNet will represent UK Arabidopsis researchers to the global Arabidopsis research community via the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee.

These goals are delivered primarily through:
(i) GARNet's communication platforms (the newsletter, website, blog and social media) providing a central knowledge exchange hub for UK plant scientists to share and receive information.
(ii) Training, networking and promotional opportunities provided by meetings and workshops.
(iii) All activities are guided by an Advisory Committee of researchers nominated and elected by the community for a 3 year term.

For the wider plant science community:
The training workshops, conferences and information outlets will be available to any interested party, not solely to basic plant researchers. Therefore crop scientists, industry researchers and other groups will benefit from the knowledge transfer and collaboration opportunities offered by GARNet. In particular GARNet services will be of benefit to anyone interested in new technologies for plant science or hoping to build working relationships with basic researchers. The global community benefits from GARNet input to international coordination activities.

For research funders, policy makers and other science stakeholders:
As a trusted and reliable single point of contact for the UK plant research community, GARNet is a key communication portal for those wanting to communicate with basic UK plant scientists, including international plant science organisations, policy makers and science funders. GARNet functions to add value to other plant science funding, helping ensure that the community is positioned for optimal collaboration and application of new technologies.

For science educators and the general public:
During the course of this grant, GARNet will build on existing informal links with the SEB careers team and Science and Plants for Schools to promote plant science to young scientists and school students. All GARNet information is available to any interested person, including online GARNet videos and articles explaining basic plant research and its importance, and aspects such as the blog will be targeted particularly at interested students and members of the public.