Council of Ministers creates an Endowed Chair for Crop Biodiversity and Breeding Informatics [02.12.07]
Minister for Science Prof. Frankenberg praises the University of Hohenheim for having R & D fields with huge potential for innovation
The Universität Hohenheim has been granted a Endowed Chair for Crop Biodiversity and Breeding Informatics. This was resolved by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on Monday. The sponsor is the plant breeding company KWS SAAT AG, which,together with the University and the Association of Benefactors for German Science will finance a Chair, complete with research facilities, for eight years. Following the funding phase, the University will continue the Endowed Chair.“The two research fields of the Endowed Chair have huge potential for innovation. The Endowed Chair provides the Universität Hohenheim with an opportunity to carry out initial work in strategically important research fields and to extend its leading role, both within Germany and internationally, in the field of plant breeding“, stated the Minister for the Economy Prof. Dr. Peter Frankenberg.
The Endowed Chair will be located in the Faculty of Agricultural Science and will be named after the renowned plant breeder Professor Dr. Wolfgang Schnell. The objective is to carry out research into the natural diversity of crops and the application of computer programmes in breeding experiments. It should be possible, using computer models, to calculate how the various strains and varieties can be best crossed using as few intermediate stages as possible.
“Endowed Chairs will give an important impetus to our university landscape,“ explained Mr. Frankenberg. Endowed Chairs are not funded by the state but by private donors. The sponsor determines the specialist field to be researched and generally funds the research and staff costs for the first five to ten years. At the present time there are over 80 Endowed Chairs in Baden-Württemberg.
Contact for press:
Prof. Dr. sc. agr. Albrecht E. Melchinger, University of Hohenheim,
Dept. of Applied Genetics and Plant Breeding, Tel.: 0711 459-22334,
e-mail: melchinger@uni-hohenheim.de