February 5, 2019
A $16 million Agricultural Science and Engineering Precinct was officially opened on Tuesday at the University of Southern Queensland’s Toowoomba campus.
Co-funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and USQ, the precinct will be used primarily for GRDC-supported, USQ-led research conducted for the benefit of Australian grain growers.
It will also conduct research funded by the Broadacre Grains Research Partnership, AgriFutures Australia, Hort Innovation and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
The facility was opened by the Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner, GRDC chairman John Woods, USQ Chancellor John Dornbusch and USQ Vice-Chancellor Prof Geraldine Mackenzie.
Mr Furner highlighted the importance of collaborations to deliver world-leading research.
“Partnerships such as these are imperative for ongoing impactful research that will drive growth in our agricultural industries,” Mr Furner said.
“We are investing in innovation so Queensland farmers can take on and beat the best in the world.
“This collaboration with USQ is already reaping benefits for Queensland agriculture, and will continue to do so for years to come.”
The new development includes 10 laboratories (including specialist quarantine facilities), four glasshouses, netted and irrigated facilities for field research, harvesting and processing of field and glasshouse samples, root and soil sampling for nematodes and four controlled environment rooms.
Prof Mackenzie said the investment in infrastructure would help support the delivery of world-class agricultural and environmental research.
“This is a unique facility that will work as a nexus between microbiology labs through to processing labs, state-of-the-art glasshouses and the field research unit, allowing researchers to look at the whole spectrum of research which underpins crop protection in Australia,” Prof Mackenzie said.
