Cambridge-based NIAB has won a major four-year contract worth more than £400,000 as part of a prestige pan-European research programme into the viability of growing GM crops alongside conventional ones.

NIAB, the UK’s leading plant bio-science company, is a major partner in the EU-funded CO-EXTRA programme. The company has secured £112,000 a year from the EU for the first three years, with a lesser amount being paid in the fourth year. The EU contribution is to be matched by Government and industry organisations within the UK.

Currently, only Spain is growing GM crops on a large scale. Other European countries are adopting a more cautious approach in the face of opposition from pressure groups.

The programme, which has 51 partners across Europe, is the largest GM research project running in Europe. It will draw together all the information on GM crops and share it with people in the agriculture and food industries as the basis for a more informed debate.

NIAB has set to work a team of 15 scientists and technicians to look at:

• The steps necessary for the co-existence of GM and non-GM crops to work.

• Keeping GM produce separate from non-GM produce.

• Crop rotation systems.

Misinformation on GM crops is a major concern and a large part of NIAB_s role is to work closely with stakeholders in a wide range of agricultural industries so that they are more informed about the scientific and practical issues and are then better able to contribute to the debate.

It will be NIAB’s role to draw up a checklist for the whole of the agricultural industry, which will be used to help growers, seed producers and farmers make sound decisions on whether or not to become involved in GM crop production in the future.

NIAB has been developing scientific solutions to known problems. It recently patented a genetic barcode system to help plant breeders to protect their intellectual property when they develop new varieties.

It has also teamed up with Lumora, a spin-off company from the Cambridge University Institute of Biotechnology, to develop a quick and easy method in the field of detecting the presence of GM crops.

Lydia Smith, a member of the NIAB project team, said: "This is a prestige pan-European project and we are delighted to be one of the major partners. We will be addressing the concerns about GM crops. We will also be in discussion with every sector of the agricultural industry to ensure everyone is aware of both the benefits and the problems involved in growing GM crops. This is a massive task, but it is one that must be undertaken if Europe is to have an informed debate on this subject."