Vision & Aims
Vision
PhenomUK will provide a single point of entry to a nationwide, distributed research infrastructure integrating, maintaining and developing the UK’s plant phenotyping capabilities. Access to physical facilities will be supported by a robust digital research infrastructure, shared community expertise and networking and training activities meeting the needs of all stakeholder families. As the UK node of the pan-European phenotyping infrastructure EMPHASIS – which will act as an amplifier for its activities – PhenomUK will ensure the UK’s involvement in international initiatives in plant and crop phenotyping.
Aims
PhenomUK will :
reduce barriers to research by easing access to nationwide facilities
enable new research directions by linking multiple facilities
identify and promote best practice and the most effective phenotyping tools and methods
reduce costly repetition of experiments through managed access to FAIR phenotyping data
support the current and help train the next generation of plant and crop scientists in emerging tools and techniques
PhenomUK timeline
UKRI Technology Touching Life Network: Crop Phenotyping: from Sensors to Knowledge (2019-2023)
UKRI Research and Infrastructure Fund Preliminary Activity: UK Plant and Crop Phenotyping Infrastructure (2023-2025)
UKRI Full Infrastructure Project: PhenomUK (2026-2032)
Impact
By consolidating fragmented expertise, infrastructure and data into an integrated national resource, PhenomUK will deliver a step-change in capability that will accelerate the discovery and translation of plant science into resilient, high-performing crops that deliver measurable public benefit. PhenomUK will work closely with InnovateUK and industry, aligning discovery science with translational testing and commercial deployment, and strengthening the pathway from discovery research to farm-level adoption. As a national node of EMPHASIS-ERIC, PhenomUK will enable the UK to leverage relationships and exert influence with international partners. EMPHASIS-ERIC will enhance opportunities for international research collaboration, supporting UK scientists to access international facilities and services and providing an income stream for UK service providers.
Strategic Alignment
PhenomUK directly aligns with the Food Strategy for England, which sets out the Government’s vision for a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and robust 21st century food system, and to the four pillars of the UK Biological Security Strategy, enhancing our ability to understand, prevent, detect and respond to crop disease and invasive species that put pressure on UK food security. The Modern Industrial Strategy recognises Agri-tech as an Advanced Manufacturing Frontier Industry that pioneers revolutionary approaches to agricultural productivity and sustainable food production; PhenomUK supports the Government’s ambition to position the UK at the forefront of the global plant and crop breeding market. Our multi-scale seed to field capabilities combined with AI-enabled data integration are in alignment with the UKRI AI Research and Innovation Strategic Framework and DSIT’s AI for Science Strategy.