Crops for the Future Research Centre (CFFRC) is the research arm of Crops for the Future (CFF), a global entity hosted in Malaysia by Bioversity International and the University of Nottingham Malaysia. CFFRC is currently advertising a range of academic, student and administrative employment opportunities.
CFFRC was officially launched by the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia on June 27. CFFRC is the first institution of its kind with a global mandate for research and development of underutilised plants for food and non-food uses.
CFFRC will help establish Malaysia as a global hub for research, development and knowledge transfer on underutilised crops. In addition to planned laboratory and field research facilities and a botanical garden of alternative crops, CFFRC will have access to facilities and expertise at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia, UK and China, national agencies such as MARDI, Malaysian universities, CFF, Bioversity International and other international and national agencies.
“CFFRC aims to address the issues on global food security by conducting research on underutilised crops to ensure that global food supply is not solely depended on the three main food crops of rice, maize and wheat which currently feeds the worlds population,” said Professor Sayed Azam-Ali, CEO of Crops for the Future Research Centre.
Professor Azam-Ali added that, “One of our focuses is to quantify and document crops which have been used by indigenous communities as food and medicine for thousands of years and this knowledge stays within the wisdom of these few."
CFFRC staff will work closely on joint projects contracted with the University of Nottingham and/or other partner institutions. Research support will be provided by the appointment of high quality Postdoctoral Research Fellows and Postgraduate Research Students registered both with the University of Nottingham and with national and international partners.
Together, CFFRC and its partners will develop a `Research Value Chain’ approach on `Exemplar’ underutilised crops that will contribute to:
- Improved novel food and non-food crops with nutritional and/or market potential
- A world research centre accessible to local and international researchers and institutions
- Promoting academic and student research programmes in higher learning institutions
- Attracting national and international support for research on potential crops of the future
- Helping make Malaysia a pioneer in research, development and marketing of novel crops
- Disseminating research outputs and methodologies to a wide range of stakeholders
- Promoting CFF and CFFRC activities at local, regional and global scale
CFFRC now seeks to appoint outstanding and committed individuals from around the world who will help establish CFFRC as the world’s leading research centre dedicated to underutilised crops.
Related links:
http://www.nottingham.edu.my/Research/CFFRC/index.aspx
http://www.nottingham.edu.my/NewsEvents/News/2011/CFFLaunch.aspx
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as “the embodiment of the modern international university", has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
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Released by The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Please contact Josephine Dionisappu for media enquiries.
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Posted on 28th July 2011