I am pleased to welcome you to the 37th edition of Advances magazine. After a short publication hiatus we are back, with a magazine full of ground-breaking discoveries.

I may be biased but I am pleased that this edition focuses on the wonders of, and breakthroughs in, wheat research. BBSRC strategic wheat programme lead, Dr Simon Griffiths, describes the unlocking of the treasure-trove that is the Watkins collection. This gift from the past is crucial to future national and international wheat research and could be the key to revolutionising wheat for the 21st century.

From microbes in the soil to plants, and with research partnerships spanning institutes, countries and continents, we are more than the sum of our parts when we all work together. We hear from Professor Janneke Balk and Dr Sanu Arora about PCGIN, a collaborative network funded in the UK by Defra which is helping to boost and adapt pulse crops in response to climate change.

In a spirit of collaboration, we are asking our readers to support a new, ambitious fundraising campaign. With partners at The Sainsbury Laboratory, we are transforming our existing infrastructure to create a ground-breaking research and innovation hub, and we need your support to share our successes and expand our network. Please get in touch to help us out.

The John Innes Centre is a fantastic place to work, with many of us, myself included, staying for a large part of our careers. Others receive training, or stay for a shorter time, and many alumni go on to do incredible things. In this edition, Dr James Canham, co-founder of GetGenome, tells us how his time at the institute built his scientific network and shaped his career.

Our people and our mission to create a UK hub for plant and microbial science will ensure we continue to be at the forefront of plant and microbial research, supporting the health of people, plants and the planet for future generations.

Professor Graham Moore FRS
Director of the John Innes Centre