THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE FOR PLANT AND FOOD RESEARCH LIMITED

Their core work

Plant & Food Research (PFR) is New Zealand's Crown Research Institute specialising in horticultural, arable and food science. They run breeding programmes, genomics labs and post-harvest science for crops like apples, kiwifruit, berries and chicory, and are globally recognised for fruit cultivar development (e.g., Jazz and Envy apples). In the H2020 context they bring a southern-hemisphere counter-season research capability plus deep expertise in plant genetics, disease resistance and new plant breeding techniques (CRISPR, cisgenesis). Their value to European consortia is specialised crop science know-how that is hard to replicate inside Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earliest H2020 involvement (PROTINUS, 2015) PFR contributed to soil-structure and function work, reflecting a broader agro-ecology framing. From 2016 onward the focus sharpens on crop genetics and molecular breeding — first classical resistance gene cloning in apple (GENEVABREED), then gene-editing and cisgenesis in chicory (CHIC). The trajectory moves clearly from field/soil biology toward laboratory-based new plant breeding techniques and regulatory-sensitive bioactive crop design.

They are positioning themselves as a non-EU partner of choice for gene-editing and molecular breeding projects where southern-hemisphere expertise and advanced transformation capability add real value.

How they like to work

PFR joins as a specialist partner or third party rather than coordinating — expected for a non-EU institute. Across three projects they worked with 29 unique partners in 15 countries, so each consortium is largely fresh rather than a repeating inner circle. This suggests they are called in for specific scientific capability rather than as a go-to coordination hub, which is how EU partners should plan to use them.

A compact but wide-reaching network of 29 partners across 15 countries, spanning western, central and southern Europe plus associated countries. There is no single dominant collaboration axis — engagement is spread across consortia rather than concentrated in one country.

What sets them apart

PFR is one of very few non-European research institutes repeatedly embedded in H2020 plant science consortia, giving European partners access to counter-seasonal trials, NZ's distinctive plant pathogen landscape, and world-class apple and horticultural germplasm. Unlike European agricultural institutes, they combine Crown-funded long-term breeding programmes with direct commercial cultivar output (Jazz, Envy, Rockit). For consortia working on gene editing, fruit breeding or novel crop bioactives, they offer capabilities that simply do not exist at this scale inside the EU.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CHIC
  Flagship H2020 project on applying CRISPR and cisgenesis to chicory with explicit attention to stakeholder engagement — a politically and scientifically sensitive frontier of EU plant biotech.
• GENEVABREED
  MSCA-IF fellowship cloning a complex apple scab-resistance locus, showcasing PFR's role as a training and host environment for European early-career plant geneticists.
• PROTINUS
  MSCA-RISE staff exchange on soil function and structure, demonstrating PFR's willingness to host and exchange researchers beyond their core horticultural remit.