Unlocking nature's diversity: The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology.

Their mission is to:

• generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research
• apply our knowledge of nature’s diversity to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being
• train scientists for the future
• engage with policy makers and the public

The research they do makes use of a wide range of disciplines in biological and chemical sciences, including microbiology, cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, molecular biology, computational and mathematical biology.

They receive funding from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for four research areas that directly address BBSRC strategic objectives in food security, human health and industrial biotechnology:

• Growth and Development Underpinning Yield
• Biotic Interactions for Crop Productivity (in partnership with The Sainsbury Laboratory)
• Understanding Plant and Microbial Metabolism
• Wheat Improvement (a cross-institute strategic programme)

The John Innes Centre also hold grants from European Research Council and charitable sources such as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.