Green Engineering

Against the backdrop of climate change, growing population and food insecurity, there is a strategic need to create new value propositions that redefine the economics of crops and reduce dependence on chemical feedstocks from fossil fuels. Modern breeding technologies and plant metabolic engineering provide a timely opportunity to address this need.

Plants not only supply us with food, fuel, and fibre, but also serve as an important source of valuable chemicals, including drugs, dyes, feedstocks for industry, and flavouring and fragrance ingredients. This is because plants have a remarkable capacity to make many different types of chemicals, some of which are very complex and cannot easily be synthesised artificially. In the Green Engineering Institute Strategic Programme, we will exploit this ability, to produce new or improved products in crops that are of benefit to society through their contribution to the economy, the environment, and to health.