Introduction
The State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology (SKLA) of CUHK, aims to build a World Class International Research Center in China with missions to uplift China’s agricultural technology, trending scientific knowledge, increase agricultural productivity, safeguard national food security and sustainable agriculture, and improve people’s nutrition, through basic science research.
By combining the strength of modern biotechnology and the traditional wisdom of breeders and farmers, we pledge to serve the society by generating new knowledge, producing novel technological platforms, products, and training high caliber technologists, and thereby boosting technical reserves and agricultural productivity in China and beyond.
Safeguard global food security and sustainability
The vision of SKLA is to build on a strong foundation of basic research, to address important agricultural questions by conducting applied basic science studies on selected strategic areas. In line with the strategic direction of scientific and technological development set forth in the national “14th Five-Year Plan”, SKLA will actively promote deep collaborations between the Mainland and Hong Kong to achieve scientific advancement. We envisage that by combining traditional wisdom of breeders and modern biotechnology, and through collaborative and synergistic researches, we would deliver new knowledge and innovative products to safeguard global food security and sustainability.
Build a world-class research entity for high level scientific exchange
While Hong Kong is positioning as an international innovation and technology hub by both the central and local governments, SKLA will continue to play a pivotal role participating in international initiatives on agricultural biotechnology. Through providing effective talent nurturing for innovation skills in terms of creative and technical capabilities, SKLA pledges to build a world-class research entity for high level scientific exchange on agricultural innovations, and talent hub for training and networking.
Focus on innovative agrobiotechnology research
SKLA focuses on innovative agrobiotechnology research, and its prioritized research includes
1) Climate Smart Agriculture
It includes crop genomic and genetic research, crop stress tolerance and signaling research, crop energy conversion and carbon metabolism, earth system and climate modeling etc. Through concerted efforts of cross-disciplinary research, we pledge to align macroscopic sustainable environmental visions with the microscopic technological development in agriculture, and achieve important scientific breakthroughs to address major issues on food security amidst climate change.
It includes crop genomic and genetic research, crop stress tolerance and signaling research, crop energy conversion and carbon metabolism, earth system and climate modeling etc. Through concerted efforts of cross-disciplinary research, we pledge to align macroscopic sustainable environmental visions with the microscopic technological development in agriculture, and achieve important scientific breakthroughs to address major issues on food security amidst climate change.
2) Cell Biology and Cell Technology Platforms
It aims for the establishment of high-end research platforms, such as plant cell protein targeting, plant cell research, stem cell research, etc., pledging to establish a biological basis for agricultural biotechnology.
It aims for the establishment of high-end research platforms, such as plant cell protein targeting, plant cell research, stem cell research, etc., pledging to establish a biological basis for agricultural biotechnology.
3) Molecular Biology and Gene Technology Platforms
It aims for building versatile teams to understand and leverage cutting edge technologies, laying a technical foundation for the effective application of agricultural resources, and serving as platforms to strengthen cooperation with mainland and international collaborators.
It aims for building versatile teams to understand and leverage cutting edge technologies, laying a technical foundation for the effective application of agricultural resources, and serving as platforms to strengthen cooperation with mainland and international collaborators.
