Advances in plant science have brought about tremendous improvements in the understanding of the plant immune system yet there has been little progress in translating these discoveries into disease resistant crops in the field. Click below to see how we work to change this situation:
2Blades recognizes that there is an urgent need for the development of disease resistant crops in less developed and subsistence agricultures, and consequently this is a major focus of our activity. In such cases, the Foundation will distribute its technologies at no cost through appropriate national and international agencies or through local seed companies.
Project Criteria
In order to most effectively make an impact on crop disease, 2Blades considers a number of criteria to select its programs:
• Projects must address a major disease problem of an important commercial or staple crop
• There must be an absence of conventional breeding solutions
• There must be a tractable molecular solution for durable resistance
• The development team must be composed of highly experienced scientists
• Resistance should be conferred with a minimum of regulatory and consumer concerns
Due to our structure as a charitable organization, our policy is to limit overhead allocations on grants to 10% of direct costs.
Training Initiative
2Blades has recognized the need to train young scientists in business and management skills so that they can drive the next generation of discoveries into application. We have begun a pilot program, the 2Blades Masterclass, at The Sainsbury Laboratory to give postdoctoral scientists a foundation in the skills needed in an entrepreneurial or corporate environment.