Resilient Crops: Miscanthus for biomass and carbon capture
Lead Research Organisation:
Aberystwyth University
Department Name: IBERS
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
Miscanthus: Dedicated perennial bioenergy crops are one route to deliver Net Zero by providing sustainable biomass for fuel and fibre and carbon sequestration below ground. Rapid scale-up is required to meet Net Zero targets and this will require new approaches such as seed-based rather than rhizome-based varieties that are robust resilient high yielding and require little to no inputs. Using a combination of controlled environment experiments and the Altitudinal Gradient we will study seedling growth and cold tolerance as key traits to optimise establishment and biomass yield respectively and flowering and leaf abscission to optimise nutrient recycling and carbon sequestration.
Planned Impact
unavailable
Organisations
- Aberystwyth University (Lead Research Organisation)
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN (Collaboration)
- University of Florida (Collaboration)
- ETH Zurich (Collaboration)
- UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (Collaboration)
- INTERNATIONAL CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE SEMI-ARID TROPICS (Collaboration)
Publications
Ashman C
(2023)
Improving field establishment and yield in seed propagated Miscanthus through manipulating plug size, sowing date and seedling age.
in Frontiers in plant science
Ashman C
(2023)
Developing Miscanthus seed plug establishment protocols with mulch film for commercial upscaling
in GCB Bioenergy
Awty-Carroll D
(2024)
Achieving hybridisation between Miscanthus species: Commercially-scalable methods to manipulate flowering synchronisation and maximise seed yield
in Industrial Crops and Products
Bertola M
(2024)
Early impacts of marginal land-use transition to Miscanthus on soil quality and soil carbon storage across Europe
in GCB Bioenergy
Bhatia R
(2023)
Transgenic ZmMYB167 Miscanthus sinensis with increased lignin to boost bioenergy generation for the bioeconomy.
in Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts
Biernaskie, J.M.
(2025)
Uncovering the genetic basis of competitiveness and the potential for cooperation in plant groups
in Proc. R. Soc. B .
Briones MJI
(2023)
Species selection determines carbon allocation and turnover in Miscanthus crops: Implications for biomass production and C sequestration.
in The Science of the total environment
Clifton-Brown J
(2023)
Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries.
in Global change biology. Bioenergy
Da Costa R
(2023)
Reduced Recalcitrance and Improved Pulp Properties in Eucalypt Woods Pretreated with White-Rot Fungi and Mild Alkali
in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Hansen A
(2025)
Mechanical stimulation in plants: molecular insights, morphological adaptations, and agricultural applications in monocots
in BMC Biology
| Title | Miscanthus paper prints |
| Description | Following a meeting between Dr Kerrie Farrar, IBERS, and Stuart Evans, Aberystwyth Printmakers, as part of a visit to IBERS by the printmakers, we developed a Miscanthus-based Sci-Art project. Initially we held a workshop, led by a local paper maker Viv Mullet, to make paper from Miscanthus leaves and then we held another workshop, led by local printmaker Jenny Fell, to make lino prints onto the paper. Themes included climate change, energy crops and collaboration - across continents and disciplines. A trilingual (English, Welsh, Japanese) exhibition of these and additional works by the printmakers was held at IBERS on July 19th, 2023, and the prints then went on to be exhibited at Bronglais hospital and as part of the Aberystwyth University Festival of Research. Examples of the works are now used in our public engagement activities, and the artworks will have a permanent home at IBERS. Local press coverage of the exhibition at IBERS: https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/entertainment/science-and-art-for-ibers-exhibition-from-aberystwyth-printmakers-634208 Biomass Connect online coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFxEyX-ABpE Ysbyty Bronglais, Haul - Arts In Health / Celfyddyd mewn lechyd https://www.facebook.com/HAULArts/ AU Festival of Research https://dialogue.aber.ac.uk/festival-of-research/programme/ - participated in the Sustainable Ceredigion: A conversation café on climate and peace, Ceredigion Museum 1 Nov. Also, Miscanthus Sci-Art features in the National Library Research Exhibits, 3-4 Nov |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | The local community are more aware of the work at IBERS and how we are using biomass crops for greenhouse gas removal towards our Net Zero commitments. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFxEyX-ABpE |
| Description | Contributed to evidence session with Climate Change Committee in relation to setting of the 7th carbon budget |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Discussions with NFU Cymru stakeholders on response to the Sustainble Farming Scheme Consultation |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Evidence to Climate Change, Environment & Infrastructure Committee 21st March 2024 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://record.senedd.wales/Committee/13727 |
| Description | Evidence to UK Government biomass inquiry |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Hosted Farmers Union of Wales President's visit |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Hosted visit from DESNZ staff at IBERS |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Meeting with Scottish Government to discuss perennial biomass crops |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | POSTnote Biomass for UK Energy |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0690/ |
| Description | Presented written evidence to Welsh Government committee regarding the Genetic Technology (precision breeding) bill brought forward by the UK Government |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Provided written evidence to public consultation by the Climate Change Committee on the 7th carbon budget |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.theccc.org.uk/climate-action/calls-for-evidence/ |
| Description | Response to The Welsh Government's preferred policy on carbon capture, utilisation and storage |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Roundtable on "Bioenergy crops and Net Zero" with the Secretary of State for Wales (David Davies) at Royal Welsh Agricultural Show |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Sustainable Farm Scheme; Carbon Sequestration evidence review panel |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Visit from Drax Innovation team to IBERS Aberystwyth |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Welsh Government Green Skills - Short Term Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Written evidence to public consultation by Welsh Government on Net Zero Sector Skills |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.wales/net-zero-sector-skills |
| Description | hosted visit of the Chief Science Advisor for Wales to IBERS, Aberystwyth |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | BEACON Mid-Wales: Growing the Circular-Bioeconomy-Shared Prosperity |
| Amount | £247,576 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2024 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Description | Biomass Connect: Biomass Innovation and Information. BEIS Biomass Feedstock Innovation Programme, Phase 2. |
| Amount | £5,955,907 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Department | Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 03/2026 |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero Hub |
| Amount | £6,590,156 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/Y008723/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2023 |
| End | 03/2027 |
| Description | Miscanthus AI- Plant selection and breeding for Net Zero |
| Amount | £502,950 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/Y005430/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2023 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Precision drone platform for NetZero Agriculture and Land Use (SMART Flexible Innovation Support) |
| Amount | £191,628 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Welsh Assembly |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Description | Solution Catalyst 3 'Quantitative manufacture of XOS from Miscanthus for commercial scale animal trials |
| Amount | £85,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2024 |
| End | 02/2025 |
| Description | Towards the use of AI for Appraisal and Exploitation of Hand-written Research Data |
| Amount | £9,536 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | URF |
| Organisation | Aberystwyth University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2025 |
| End | 07/2025 |
| Description | UK-SPF Mid Wales Region: Green Digital Transformation |
| Amount | £249,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Title | Genomic marker panel for Miscanthus |
| Description | Cost-effective Flex-seq marker panel developed for Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus to enable large-scale screening of Miscanthus populations, e.g. for genomic selection. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Genomic selection, coupled with speed breeding, reduces each Miscanthus breeding cycle from 3 years to 1, thereby accelerating the generation of new varieties for sustainable biomass production. Using these markers we have implemented GS in Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus for the first time. |
| Description | Environmental impact of land use transitions involving biomass crops |
| Organisation | UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | A long term collaboration involving making the best use of long term experiments at multiple locations and in multiple environments. The IBERS team have contributed their expertise in crop genetics and agronomy, as well as the running of long term field trials and their statistical analysis. |
| Collaborator Contribution | A long term collaboration involving making the best use of long term experiments at multiple locations and in multiple environments. Partners at Aberdeen and UKCEH have contributed their expertise in modelling and environmental sciences, respectively. |
| Impact | A multi-disciplinary collaboration that spans agriculture, biology, environmental sciences (including physics) and modelling, that has produced many tens of research papers and on-going grants. Recent research publications, since the ISPG on Resilient Crops started on 1/4/23, include those on the following topics: 1) Species selection determines carbon allocation and turnover in Miscanthus crops: Implications for biomass production and C sequestration 2) Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom: The benefits, challenges, and trade-offs 3) Early impacts of marginal land-use transition to Miscanthus on soil quality and soil carbon storage across Europe 4) Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries 5) Yield performance of 14 novel inter- and intra-species Miscanthus hybrids across Europe 6) Novel Miscanthus hybrids: Modelling productivity on marginal land in Europe using dynamics of canopy development determined by light interception |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Environmental impact of land use transitions involving biomass crops |
| Organisation | University of Aberdeen |
| Department | Paediatrics Aberdeen |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | A long term collaboration involving making the best use of long term experiments at multiple locations and in multiple environments. The IBERS team have contributed their expertise in crop genetics and agronomy, as well as the running of long term field trials and their statistical analysis. |
| Collaborator Contribution | A long term collaboration involving making the best use of long term experiments at multiple locations and in multiple environments. Partners at Aberdeen and UKCEH have contributed their expertise in modelling and environmental sciences, respectively. |
| Impact | A multi-disciplinary collaboration that spans agriculture, biology, environmental sciences (including physics) and modelling, that has produced many tens of research papers and on-going grants. Recent research publications, since the ISPG on Resilient Crops started on 1/4/23, include those on the following topics: 1) Species selection determines carbon allocation and turnover in Miscanthus crops: Implications for biomass production and C sequestration 2) Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom: The benefits, challenges, and trade-offs 3) Early impacts of marginal land-use transition to Miscanthus on soil quality and soil carbon storage across Europe 4) Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries 5) Yield performance of 14 novel inter- and intra-species Miscanthus hybrids across Europe 6) Novel Miscanthus hybrids: Modelling productivity on marginal land in Europe using dynamics of canopy development determined by light interception |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Genomic prediction by modelling genotype by environment interaction for yield in groundnut |
| Organisation | International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The main aim of this collaboration was to understand the extend of genotype by environment interaction in groundnut breeding programs. We used datasets from Malawi and Uganda in our study. Nelson Lubanga helped in the designing and execution of this project. Nelson Lubanga co-ordinated all the processes including data analysis, presentation and also drafted a manuscript that is currently under review titled "Genomic prediction by modelling genotype by environment interaction for yield in groundnut": https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.30.621054 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Damaris Odeny (ICRISAT) - Provided the data and reviewed the manuscript. Nelson Lubanga (Aberystwyth University) - design, data analysis, presentation, manuscript preparation and submission for publication. Diego Jarquin (University of Florida) - design, analysis and review of the manuscript. |
| Impact | This project led to the development of a paper that is currently under peer review. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Genomic prediction by modelling genotype by environment interaction for yield in groundnut |
| Organisation | University of Florida |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The main aim of this collaboration was to understand the extend of genotype by environment interaction in groundnut breeding programs. We used datasets from Malawi and Uganda in our study. Nelson Lubanga helped in the designing and execution of this project. Nelson Lubanga co-ordinated all the processes including data analysis, presentation and also drafted a manuscript that is currently under review titled "Genomic prediction by modelling genotype by environment interaction for yield in groundnut": https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.30.621054 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Damaris Odeny (ICRISAT) - Provided the data and reviewed the manuscript. Nelson Lubanga (Aberystwyth University) - design, data analysis, presentation, manuscript preparation and submission for publication. Diego Jarquin (University of Florida) - design, analysis and review of the manuscript. |
| Impact | This project led to the development of a paper that is currently under peer review. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Molecular control of agronomic traits in grasses |
| Organisation | ETH Zurich |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Resources involved in breeding grasses and legumes. ISP-supported experiments, including Challenge Gradient |
| Collaborator Contribution | A world-leading group in molecular biology and genomics of grasses. |
| Impact | NA |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Sparse testing designs for optimizing resource allocation in multi-environment cassava breeding trials |
| Organisation | International Institute of Tropical Agriculture |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Nelson Lubanga was involved in designing this project. The main aim of this project was to reduce the cost of setting up multi-location trials using sparse testing. Nelson Lubanga co-ordinated all the activities involved including convening of regular meeting, data analysis, presentation and writing of a manuscript that was eventually published in a high impact journal: https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20558 |
| Collaborator Contribution | IITA provided the datasets that were used for the analysis. Nelson Lubanga (Aberystwyth University) helped in the designing of this project, data analysis and leading the writing of the manuscript. Diego Jarquin (University of Florida) helped in the designing and analysis of the project. |
| Impact | Through this collaboration, we published a paper titled "Sparse testing designs for optimizing resource allocation in multi-environment cassava breeding trials": https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20558. This collaboration was multidisciplinary as it involved plant breeders (Ismail Rabii), Biometricians (Ibnou Dieng), quantitative geneticists (Nelson Lubanga) and statisticians ( Diego Jarquin). |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Sparse testing designs for optimizing resource allocation in multi-environment cassava breeding trials |
| Organisation | University of Florida |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Nelson Lubanga was involved in designing this project. The main aim of this project was to reduce the cost of setting up multi-location trials using sparse testing. Nelson Lubanga co-ordinated all the activities involved including convening of regular meeting, data analysis, presentation and writing of a manuscript that was eventually published in a high impact journal: https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20558 |
| Collaborator Contribution | IITA provided the datasets that were used for the analysis. Nelson Lubanga (Aberystwyth University) helped in the designing of this project, data analysis and leading the writing of the manuscript. Diego Jarquin (University of Florida) helped in the designing and analysis of the project. |
| Impact | Through this collaboration, we published a paper titled "Sparse testing designs for optimizing resource allocation in multi-environment cassava breeding trials": https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20558. This collaboration was multidisciplinary as it involved plant breeders (Ismail Rabii), Biometricians (Ibnou Dieng), quantitative geneticists (Nelson Lubanga) and statisticians ( Diego Jarquin). |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Agricultural College visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Students from an Agricultural Colleage were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Article in The Conversation on "Five steps agriculture in Wales should take to help reach net zero" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article for the Conversation based on the Wales Net Zero Challenge group that Judith Thornton was involved in. Article had 3,343 reads (as of 20/2/25), |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/five-steps-agriculture-in-wales-should-take-to-help-reach-net-zero-23941... |
| Description | Article on Arficial Intelligence in Miscanthus plant breeding for the Terravesta Ltd Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Article for the Terravesta email newsletter on how AI could improve Miscanthus breeding. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://terravesta.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-in-miscanthus-plant-breeding/ |
| Description | Astley Hastings and Iain Donnison were invited participants at a Royal Society Community workshop on BECCS. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Iain and Astley attended this invite only event that aimed to bring together the latest evidence and enable discourse between leading experts on the role and scale of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) in climate change mitigation pathways, as well as its risks and opportunities both locally and globally. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2024/09/beccs-workshop/ |
| Description | Biomass and Energy Crops VI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Hosted the Biomass and Energy Crops VI workshop at Aberystwyth University, on both the Penglais and Gogerddan campuses. The workshop brought together the international community including from Europe, North America and Asia with workshop presentations and included site visits to IBERS field plots, phenotyping, seedbank and biorefining facilities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.aab.org.uk/event/biomass-and-energy-crops-vi/ |
| Description | Biomass demonstration stand at Welsh Winter Fair, Royal Welsh Showground |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Exhibited at the Royal Welsh Showground Winter Fair on biomass crops and their role in the agricultural landscape. Discussed biomass crops with farmers, policy makers and general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Brecon Buffers Project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | visitors were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Chair annual Bioenergy Grass Genomics workshop, Plant and Animal Genome meeting, San Diego |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Kerrie Farrar runs an annual workshop at the Plant and Animal Genome meeting in San Diego every January. This workshop, co-chaired by Kankshita Swaminathan of Hudson Alpha, USA, brings together the international perennial bioenergy crop community. This has previously resulted in the Miscanthus genome publication and more recently USA-UK grant applications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | Chris Ashman attended the Groundswell Agricultural Show |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Groundswell Festival is a regenerative agriculture conference held annually in Hertfordshire, and provides a forum for farmers, growers, or anyone interested in food production and the environment to learn about the theory and practical applications of regenerative farming systems. Chris Ashman attended and was present on a stand for the duration of the event, speaking to farmers and the general public about perennial biomass crops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Coordinator of FoodBioSystems DTP visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Visit by FBS DTP on fact-finding tour of participating organisations |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | DOE Resilient Bioenergy Crop Production Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Participated as an international expert in the US DOE Resilient Bioenergy Crop Production Online Workshop over 3 days to identify future research challenges, opportunities and priorities. This was followed by giving a presentation at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in January 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.genomicscience.energy.gov/pre-meeting-feedback-resilient-bioenergy-crop-production-works... |
| Description | Dame Nia Griffiths under Sec for Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Dame Nia Griffiths under Sec for Wales and accompanying were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Defra Soil Policy Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Visitors were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Discussed biomass crops with farmers at the 'Grass and Muck' event at Trawscoed farm |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison, Judith Thornton, Paul Robson, Chris Ashman all attended the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society "grass and muck" event which was hosted at Trawscoed Farm. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dr Fazhana Ismail |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | visitors from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Malaysia, Department of Agricultural Science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://directory.upsi.edu.my/experts/profile/E24CD285C605A08F |
| Description | EdgeHill University Plant Science Student Visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | students and accompnaying staff were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Engagement with BTEC agriculture students at Myersough College and Bishop Burton College |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Agriculture students, aged 16-18, engaged in BTEC and NVQ courses in agricultural disciplines were given talks and then a tour of the PBC4GGR biomass crops (Miscanthus and willow) at their college site. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Engagement with Farmers Unions |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Delegations from the Farmers Unions and other stakeholders visit IBERS on a regular basis. Recent examples where Miscanthus research has been the focus of conversation include: FUW Presidents visit to IBERS Gogerddan, 22nd November 2023 NFU Cymru President and Director visit to IBERS Gogerddan, 7th March 2023 NFU Cymru Next Generation, visit to IBERS Gogerddan, 15th February 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Engagement with NFU-Cymru on Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attended briefing event at NFU-Cymru Head Quarters (Builth) on Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). This is linked to role as academic board advisory group member on net zero for NFU and on wider engagement with farming community on climate change: mitigation and adaptation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.nfu-cymru.org.uk/news-and-information/supply-chain-sfs-concerns-heard-at-nfu-cymru-meeti... |
| Description | Exhibitor stand at Cereals show |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Staff were present on an exhibition stand on biomass crops at the Cereals show (Newnham Farm, Hertfordshire) discussing perennial biomass crops as a diversification opportunity with farmers, industry stakeholders, policy makers and the general public |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Farming Connect Development Office Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was a proactive move towards fostering innovation and sustainability in agriculture. A team of Farming Connect's development officers were invited to the Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences (IBERS) for an event to enhance awareness of emerging biomass industries and potential benefits within the land-based sector. The visiting team was strategically located in various counties, and plays a pivotal role in engaging with land-based activities, including discussion group meetings, demonstration events, and industry training. To ensure the sustainability and integration of biomass crops into future land use policies, the event featured presentations by Paul Robson detailing research on breeding resilient biomass crops, emphasising the need for crops like miscanthus to thrive in the UK's variable climate and Elaine Jensen who discussed her collaborative work with the government, focusing on how biomass crops could be integrated within the Welsh landscape and the importance of research that can help to influence future land use policies. Following constructive discussions prompted by the presentations, the group explored IBERS' newly established biomass hub site plots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/news/farming-connect-team-expands-knowledge-of-biomass-crop-potential... |
| Description | Farming Connect Networking day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | As part of improving the quality of information that the Farming Connect use in their communications with farmers, a networking day was held between Farming Connect staff and IBERS staff, which included tours and talks of IBERS facilities, and networking sessions in the afternoon. The aim was to increase the translation of research outcomes into farming practices. Multiple members of the Miscanthus team attended and engaged on behalf of IBERS, including PBC4GGR team members Iain Donnison, Paul Robson and Judith Thornton. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Farming Connect event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop with Farming Connect at Aberystwyth University including representatives from the farming community on the linking R&D through to agricultural practice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Farming Connect regional reps |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Reps from across the UK were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Germinal seed growers Visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Event organised by affiliated industrial organisation, where their farmer/growers were able to visit and discuss the technologies utilised in breeding |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Growing Opportunities for Welsh Farmers in the Biomass Industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Hosted a workshop "Growing Opportunities for Welsh Farmers in the Biomass Industry" which brought together researchers, extension workers, farmers, industry, policymakers, and green finance on overcoming barriers for the sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/news/growing-opportunities-for-welsh-farmers-in-the-biomass-industry/ |
| Description | Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Delegation from Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences to discuss next gen phenotyping |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | HZAU, Wuhan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Meeting in Aberystwyth with Chinese collaborators from HZAU to discuss research projects |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Hosted a 'Future Leaders Network' event at Aberystwyth as part of the greenhouse gas removals community |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Future Leaders Network which spans GGR demonstrator projects and DESNZ GGR projects had a 2 day visit to Aberystwyth where they interacted with PBC4GGR, GGR Peat scientists and learnt more widely about biorefining and the bioeconomy, via a series of talks and site visits. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Hosted open day for Welsh farmers, unions and policy makers interested in the role of biomass crops on farms |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | IBERS held a 1 day workshop on the role of biomass crops in agricultural systems in Wales. It included representatives from both National Farmers Union and Farmers Union of Wales, 2 representatives from the Welsh Government Agriculture division (one from rural payments, the other from evidence team). Farmers already growing Miscanthus attended, as did several who already used Miscanthus as bedding. A number of farmers who were 'biomass curious' also attended to learn more about the potential for the crop on their farm. Two Miscanthus supply companies attended. The day consisted of some presentations, a field walk and discussion, and a roundtable on potential ways forward. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/news/growing-opportunities-for-welsh-farmers-in-the-biomass-industry/ |
| Description | ITV-wales interview for "Wales This Week" current affairs programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview & filming footage for ITV-wales: 30 minute programme on the use of AI in Wales |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Iain Donnison spoke at the 3rd international conference on negative emissions, Oxford University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison and Julie Ingram both spoke at the conference, Iain Donnison also chaired a session, and was interviewed for Carbon Brief. https://www.carbonbrief.org/negative-emissions-scientists-debate-role-of-co2-removal-in-tackling-climate-change/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.negativeco2emissions2024.com/ |
| Description | International group Fuling Li inward investment Welsh Govt |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Fact finding mission by Welsh Govt |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Interview for Welsh TV (FFermio) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 2 TV interviews primarily in Welsh, describing the breeding-related research at Aberystwyth University |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invitation as a facilitator for the Training Workshop on "Genomic Selection (GS) for Dryland Crops (DC)", at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India, February 03-07, 2025. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Nelson Lubanga was invited as a subject matter specialist and one of the facilitators of the Training Workshop on "Genomic Selection (GS) for Dryland Crops (DC)" took place in Hyderabad, India from February 03-07, 2025. The purpose of the workshop was to share knowledge on the implementation of GS, identify potential entry points for breeders of different dryland crops, and to use their own datasets to streamline and optimize ongoing GS programs. A group of 50 participants including plant breeders, bioinformaticians and biometricians attended this workshop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.icrisat.org/storage/file-managers/file-67248ad93351e4.86635420.pdf |
| Description | Judith Thornton interviewed for Ffermio (welsh language TV programme about farming) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Judith Thornton was interviewed for a 10 minute section in 'Ffermio' on the role of Miscanthus in Welsh farming systems, and the potential role of technologies (including drones and AI for analysing resulting data). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://research.aber.ac.uk/en/clippings/ffermio-miscanthus-and-the-role-of-ai |
| Description | Judith Thornton was on IBERS stand at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society Winter Fair |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The IBERS stand at the RWAS winter fair included a substantial component of informing Welsh farmers about biomass, given the recent launch of a funding scheme that would support farmers to diversify into biomass crops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Lafan Cymru AgriFood consultants |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Lafan personel were given a tour of the research facilities and discussions held on the type of research projects undertaken |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Low Carbon Agriculture Show 2023 (Stoneleigh) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Produced media, (banners and handouts) for stall manned for 2 days to engage with attendees. Questions on use and availability of Miscanthus crop plus impacts on co-benefits including flood mitigation and end uses such as biochar. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Meeting with Lloyds Bank and AMC about potential investments in the biomass crop industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison and Judith Thornton met with representatives from Lloyds Bank and the Agricultural Mortgage Company to discuss finance options for the UK biomass industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Miscanthus paper Sci-art project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Following a meeting between Dr Kerrie Farrar, IBERS, and Stuart Evans, Aberystwyth Printmakers, as part of a visit to IBERS by the printmakers, we developed a Miscanthus-based Sci-Art project. Initially we held a workshop, led by a local paper maker Viv Mullet, to make paper from Miscanthus leaves and then we held another workshop, led by local printmaker Jenny Fell, to make lino prints onto the paper. Themes included climate change, energy crops and collaboration - across continents and disciplines. A trilingual (English, Welsh, Japanese) exhibition of these and additional works by the printmakers was held at IBERS on July 19th, 2023, and the prints then went on to be exhibited at Bronglais hospital and as part of the Aberystwyth University Festival of Research. Examples of the works are now used in our public engagement activities, and the artworks will have a permanent home at IBERS. Local press coverage of the exhibition at IBERS: https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/entertainment/science-and-art-for-ibers-exhibition-from-aberystwyth-printmakers-634208 Biomass Connect online coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFxEyX-ABpE Ysbyty Bronglais, Haul - Arts In Health / Celfyddyd mewn lechyd https://www.facebook.com/HAULArts/ AU Festival of Research https://dialogue.aber.ac.uk/festival-of-research/programme/ - participated in the Sustainable Ceredigion: A conversation café on climate and peace, Ceredigion Museum 1 Nov. Also, Miscanthus Sci-Art features in the National Library Research Exhibits, 3-4 Nov |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFxEyX-ABpE |
| Description | Miscanthus research showcased at a Wales Innovation Network Event at Lancaster House, Westminster |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Kerrie Farrar and Beatrice Ifie exhibited at an event in Westminster on Miscanthus research and the role of Miscanthus in net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | NUE-LEG project visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Visitors were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Nelson Lubanga was invited as a presenter at the Plant and Animal Genome conference (PAG) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Nelson Lubanga presented at the Plant and Genome conference in San Diego, California, USA in 2024. The title of the talk was Genomic Prediction Using Sparse Testing for Multi-Environment Miscanthus Trials. During this conference, Nelson Lubanga was able to meet key collaborating partners in ICRISAT and IITA. Nelson Lubanga has already drafted two papers using IITA and ICRISAT datasets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Organised and attended a conference for 120 people; Harnessing Innovation, the Future of Biomass |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | As part of Biomass Connect, members of the PBC4GGR team organised, attended and spoke at this 2 day conference and exhibition in Warwick. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/showcase-event/ |
| Description | Panel debate with National Farmers Union, Farmers Union of Wales, Wildlife Trusts Wales, RSPB on the role of trees and biomass in Welsh farming systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Panel debate with National Farmers Union, Farmers Union of Wales, Wildlife Trusts Wales, RSPB on the role of trees and biomass in Welsh farming systems. Held in the Aberystwyth University Pavillion at the Royal Welsh Show, chaired by Iain Donnison. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Panel discussion on Adapting Agriculture for Future Climates at RWAS 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison chaired an invited panel of speakers including Paul Billings (Germinal), Colin Miles (BBSRC) and Minette Batters (NFU president) at an invite-only stakeholders event at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Panelist at a Countryside Landowners Association business breakfast discussion at Royal Welsh Agricultural Show |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison was a panelist on a CLA business breakfast discussion at Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, July 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Panelist for Farming Today Radio 4 discussion at RWAS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison was on a panel discussion at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show that was live to the public and recorded for the Radio 4 Farming Today programme on 25th July 2023. Other panel members were Abi Reader (NFU Cymru) and Arfon Williams (RSPB). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation in activity, workshop or similar - Biomass Connect Showcase Event (Warwick) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The event showcased the latest innovations in biomass production and processing emerging from the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme and included presentations and practical workshop sessions from a wide range of speakers from all areas of the biomass industry. The event included an exhibition of planting machinery, aeroponics, decision support tools, breeding advances and other innovations from across the biomass supply chain. The event aimed to showcase progress and explore the process of continuing funding for the innovations supported under the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/showcase-event/# |
| Description | Pilgrim Foods |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Visitors were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Prof Hai-Chen Ying et al CAS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | visiting chinese acadmics were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Radio interview for Radio Wales on the role of AI in plant breeding |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Iain Donnison and Gancho Slavov took part in a discussion broadcast on Radio Wales 'Science Cafe' programme on the role of AI in plant breeding. This related to the application of AI to net zero and the development of Miscanthus varieties for greenhouse gas removal. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qt9m |
| Description | Royal Society Innovating Agriculture event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Participated and chaired an expert panel on ": How can innovations in food and agriculture be deployed at scale?" at the Royal Society Innovating agriculture event. This was part of the conference series "Transforming our future" and explored the science and innovation aiming to transform the future of food and farming. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/-/media/about-us/industry/tof-conference-reports/transforming-our-future-in... |
| Description | Scandinavian Phenotyping network visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Erik Alexandersson and several colleagues from Nordic region visited to inspect advanced phenomic facilities |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Scoping workshop for net zero and nature positive pathways in Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Judith Thornton participated in a 2 day scoping workshop as part of her role as a member of the Agriculture Industry Climate Change Forum, with the LUNZ hub. Aim was to co-create a 'balanced' pathway to achieve a nature positive and net zero agriculture and land use sector by 2050. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Sept 2023 delegation from China |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A group of Chinese Researchers from Nanjing, Wuhan and Shanghai visited for 2 days, gave and listened to seminars |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Stand at Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, July 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Staff working on biomass crops were at the IBERS stand at RWAS, engaging with visitors to the show. Visitors to the stand included curious public, farmers, international visitors and policy makers/politicians. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Stand at the "Goodbye Greenhouse Gas" public event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Goodbye Greenhouse Gas event was a public engagement event allied to the third international conference on negative CO2 emissions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sustainable Grass & Muck event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Hosted the Sustainable Grass & Muck event at the Aberystwyth University Trawsgoed Farm. The event was part of Ceredigion's year as the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's featured county. With 150 acres put aside for demonstration machinery, the event gave many thousands of grassland farmers the chance to see the latest grassland machinery in action. This including the making of silage and the efficient and effective spreading of slurry and farmyard manure. The event supports farmers in their production and harvesting of sustainable, high quality and home-grown forage. IBERS was involved in the organising committee run by the Ceredigion group, assisting with the hosting of the event on the University farm and ran multiple exhibits of forage and bioenergy grass science and supporting agri-tech infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/archive/2024/03/title-269483-en.html |
| Description | The 2024 Sustainable Grass and Muck Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The event provided a gathering for sharing knowledge on sustainable agricultural practices in the face of changing climatic conditions. The Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences (IBERS) stand provided participants an overview of Miscanthus from breeding through cultivation and commercial products. We demonstrated Miscanthus as bedding to participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://rwas.wales/grasslandevent/ |
| Description | The role of biomass in low carbon agriculture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | IBERS and Biomass Connect attended the low carbon agriculture event at Stoneleigh. This included engagement on biomass R&D and on green skills training through the IBERS Distance Learning team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/news/the-role-of-biomass-in-low-carbon-agriculture/ |
| Description | UKRI, MEDR, & Welsh Gov |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | visitors were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Visit by BBC science and Climate change group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The BBC science and Climate change group were at IBERS/NPPC on a fact-finding visit. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Wales Innovation Network/Wales Higher Education Brussels event, Brussels, 28 Feb, 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Dr Farrar showcased IBERS' Miscanthus research at the WIN/WHEB event 'Welsh universities research excellence in partnership: Opportunities on the Horizon'. The Wales Innovation Network and Welsh Higher Education Brussels, in partnership with Universities Wales and Global Wales, hosted an exhibition of Welsh research and innovation as part of the St David's Day Brussels 2024 programme. The aim was to offer an opportunity to gain insight into developments in the Welsh research and innovation landscape through discussions with academics and university leaders, with a focus on our commitment to European collaboration as we fully engage with the Horizon Europe programme. Miscanthus research was selected as a leading example of of innovative projects contributing to Net Zero. Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister for Wales was the keynote speaker. Dr Farrar spoke with him about the role Miscanthus can play to help Wales reach its goals, including the benefits of perennial biomass crops to decarbonise heavy industry and to substitute for tree planting, with additional benefits for the farmer. There was a diverse guest list including numerous science and innovation networks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Wales Innovation network, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Dr Kerrie Farrar showcased IBERS' Miscanthus research at a reception in Lancaster House, London, 17th Oct, 2023. The Wales Innovation Network (WIN) and the office of the Secretary of State for Wales held a joint reception to showcase the strengths and breadth of Welsh research and innovation, including on Net Zero and Decarbonisation, to UK politicians, civil servants and funders. The Miscanthus research was selected from a longlist within Aberystwyth University. Speakers and attendees from UK Government included: • Rt Hon David TC Davies MP, Secretary of State for Wales • George Freeman MP, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/archive/2023/10/title-267312-en.html |
| Description | Webinar on agronomy of perennial biomass crops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Chris Ashman gave a presentation at a Biomass Connect webinar on the agronomy of perennial biomass crops, partly based on the agronomy trials in the PBC4GGR project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTCBx_L_9M |
| Description | organising committee for conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | organising committee of AIforNetZero conference in Exeter |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | primary school visits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | 2 local schools, led by an AU computer science lecturer, were given a tour of the research facilities and relevant projects explained and discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |