Research deal sealed
Back Row : David Elphinstone (Head of Research - Myerscough College), Professor Bill Davies CBE (Director of the Centre of Sustainable Agriculture - Lancaster University), Mick Cottam (Assistant Principal Higher Education - Myerscough College) Seated : Professor Kevin Jones (Director of Lancaster Environment Centre), Ann Turner (Chief Executive & Principal Myerscough College).
A Preston college has teemed up with a top university to work together in developing world class research.
Myerscough College in Bilsborrow will work with Lancaster University on environmental and agricultural issues of regional, national and global significance.
Although the two institutions have worked together on joint research projects since 2003, this is the first formal agreement between them.
The Lancaster Environment Centre at the university has a long-standing research link with Myerscough with current joint research projects funded by the Horticultural Development Company, DEFRA, the EU and local companies.
Bill Davies, professor of plant biology at the Lancaster Environment Centre, said: “Our immediate plan is to extend our collaborations through the development of some specialist field-based research facilities. “These and other planned developments ensure that our research links effectively to UK and international farming practices and communities.”
David Elphinstone, head of research at Myerscough, added that the college will be at the forefront of the research.
He said: “This is a fantastic new research partnership giving our college the chance to work alongside a huge educational institution in Lancaster University.”
Mr Elphinstone said the ‘Sustainable Intensification’ research project will be based at Myerscough’s Bilsborrow campus , and will initially look at ways to maintain and increase food production levels while reducing the input of resources such as energy, water and land - an increasingly important issue in agriculture and crop production.
The first major new facility to be established on the site will include devices for collecting water from the pore spaces of soils and for determining the soluble constituents removed in the drainage.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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