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The success of a research partnership between CQUniversity and AgriVentis Technologies Ltd has reaped rewards for the agricultural industry and brought about a series of brand-new post-graduate scholarships.
AgriVentis Technologies Ltd has collaborated with CQUni to offer the two new scholarships:
Masters by Research Elevate Scholarship - CQUniversity and AgriVentis Technology Ltd Partnership (Tropical Grain and Graze Pulse Protein), and Masters by Research Elevate Scholarship - CQUniversity and AgriVentis Technologies Ltd Partnership (Harvesting Antioxidants for Value Addition of Black Sesame Seed)
CQUniversity and AgriVentis have been working together since 2019 with research scholarships that included a Black Sesame Masters Scholarship and Mungbean PhD Scholarship, and co-funded research projects that includes CRC for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) funding for the Spicing Up the North project.
AgriVentis CEO Lewis Hunter said AgriVentis was committed to supporting these new research scholarships as part of its plan to provide new opportunities for crop producers and to develop new industries in Northern Australia.
“I speak from all of us at AgriVentis, in celebrating our long association and partnership with CQUni,
in particular the friendships we have forged and the outstanding body of work that has been undertaken by Surya Bhattarai and Tieneke Trotter and the entire research team,” Mr Hunter said.
“We have received tremendous value with the many programs we are engaged in, led by CQUni, along with the many partners across Central and Northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. We are starting to see the fruits emerge, from everyone’s combined effort, labour and expertise.”
Mr Hunter said the company’s recent partnership with International group, Oyak, has provided a significant increase in investment and commitment to further expand its activities with CQUni and to develop new projects that will ultimately allow AgriVentis to commercialise a number of advanced seed lines for pulse crops like mungbeans.
And AgriVentis Technology Ltd is hoping to develop a new spice industry in Northern Australia to produce, process and market a locally grown product for domestic and international consumers and boost employment and economic growth in the north.The Spicing Up the North Project involves a trial of five different spices: black sesame, fennel, cumin, kalonji and kalajiri for their suitability to cropping in Northern Australia.
Black Sesame Masters Scholarship recipient and CQUni Master of Applied Science student Sanjaya Timilsina has been investigating black sesame varieties for response to heat and moisture stress and to develop agronomic practices for producing this crop in northern Australia.
CQUni PhD student and scholarship recipient Sobia Ikram is researching the response of AgriVentis varieties to heat and moisture stress to determine the opportunity to produce mungbeans in northern Australia.
CQUni Lead Researcher Associate Professor Surya Bhattarai said the black sesame and mungbean research has now scaled up for commercial production with growers in the Central and Northern Queensland.
Mr Hunter said he was excited about the future of the partnership with CQUni.
“We’re encouraged by past results, which has allowed our Board of Directors to commit and expand further resources into research and development, 100 per cent of which will be directed into programs led by CQUni,” he said.