Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

The Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (abbreviated as "AGIS") was established in 2014 with the joint support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Shenzhen Municipal Government. By integrating biology and big data science, AGIS aims to understand and utilize agricultural biological genomes to serve global agricultural production. To this end, AGIS has established research centers and related technology platforms in omics technology, synthetic biology, plant genomics, animal genomics, ecological genomics, food science, and other fields. The long-term vision of AGIS is to promote sustainable global agricultural development through disruptive innovation, serve personalized food supply systems, and enhance human health and the social status of farmers. Since its establishment, AGIS has thoroughly implemented the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Four Orientations and Two First-Class" instructions, carried out pilot reforms on scientific research autonomy, and has been designated as a "testing ground" for the modern institute reform of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It has established a council co-chaired by leaders from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Shenzhen Municipal Government; built a research team of nearly 800 people; formed a disciplinary system centered on omics technology and radiating toward agriculture, food, and ecology; obtained innovation platforms such as the "Shenzhen Branch of Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture" and the "Key Laboratory of Agricultural Gene Data Analysis, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs"; published over 400 SCI papers in journals including top-tier journals such as Science, Nature, and Cell; developed more than 30 new varieties approved at the national and provincial levels through genome-designed breeding; and occupies the world frontier in research fields such as agricultural genomics. In 2019 and 2020, it ranked first among national agricultural research institutes in the Nature Index for two consecutive years, and multiple achievements were selected as "Top Ten Landmark Achievements of Agricultural Science and Technology in the 13th Five-Year Plan," "Top Ten Advances in Chinese Life Sciences," and "Top Ten Advances in Chinese Agricultural Sciences." It has successively received awards such as the "Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation" Award, the "Zhou Guangzhao Basic Science Award," the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Advanced Model Figure for the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone," and the "Shenzhen Mayor's Award." Currently, AGIS, together with relevant Shenzhen municipal departments, has proposed the "Shenzhen International Food Valley," whose plan has been issued by the municipal government. It will build an industry-university-research collaboration ecosystem for agricultural food, and serve as a pioneering demonstration of technology-driven transformation and upgrading of the agricultural food industry.