The ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture is pleased to share our 2023 Annual Report with you. The report provides an overview of our research, capacity building, outreach and engagement achievements in 2023.
As those who have been subscribed to this newsletter for a while would know, 2023 was another jam-packed year for the Centre which saw us host, support and attend many events, welcome new members and continue to deliver valuable initiatives through our committees and working groups. We have been enriched with an incredibly active group of Early Career Researchers who, through the Researcher Development Working Group, have continued to provide a large number of valued initiatives (pages 69-71). Additionally, our Outreach Working Group continues to facilitate participation in a range of initiatives that help to educate and bring plant science to a wider audience including through convening the 2023 National Science Quiz (pages 72-73).
Importantly, it was also a great year for research outputs and collaborations (pages 14-29, 85-88). Included in our Report are two case studies – one on the success of the Genotype x Environment x Management (GxExM) Symposium II held in Gainesville, Florida (page 28), and the other on the Simulated Datasets for Phenotypic (G2P) Prediction Research (page 29). These synthetic datasets on sorghum and shoot branching are freely available and will allow the research community to use a common dataset to test the efficacy of a range of methods.
The report also outlines a change in how we are framing our research projects going forward (pages 13-17). During the Chief Investigator workshop held in December, we spent time discussing highlights, synergies and next steps. The result of these discussions was six themes that align with our pathways to impact and offer more granular detail as we progress with our research.
We have also shared a portion of our Strategic Plan (pages 56-67) to highlight where we see ourselves and the focus for future years across our three operational pillars of research excellence and translation; education and capacity building; and thought leadership, engagement, and outreach.
As you will see in the report, the Centre has progressed immensely and it is due to our dedicated and passionate Centre members and supporters. We thank you for your continued support and hope that you will enjoy reading about the achievements of the Centre.
