The Waite

The Waite Campus houses the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, which was established on the site in 1924 following a bequest of Urrbrae House and 300 acres from Mr Peter Waite to the University of Adelaide. The objective of the bequest was "to advance the cause of education and more especially to promote the teaching and study of Agriculture and Forestry and allied subjects".

The Waite has developed into an integrated research and teaching precinct that has been presented as a model for the collocation of agricultural research institutions and has established a track record for delivering value to industry through innovative research and quality education.

Research Excellence
The Waite Precinct in Adelaide is Australia's leading research, education and commercialisation cluster. It has the largest concentration of expertise in the southern hemisphere in the areas of plant biotechnology, cereal breeding, sustainable agriculture, wine and horticulture and land management.

The Waite's unique collection of a number of Australia's leading agricultural and environmental research organisations is home to 1000 staff and postgraduate students. The annual research expenditure of the collocated partners is more than $110 million per annum. This research delivers outcomes of direct significance to both Australian and international agriculture and wine industries.

We continue to consolidate and extend our partnerships with venture capital groups, commercial support companies and industry to transfer our technologies, products and services to market.

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programs
At the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide, the Faculty of Sciences has leading research capabilities in the areas of horticulture, plant and pest science, oenology and viticulture, and soil and land systems. These research activities provide outstanding opportunities for dynamic education and training through undergraduate, Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD programs. The Faculty of Sciences also has extensive research and training links with the collocated partners, and internationally. Waite is the home of the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and contains components of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics
The ACPFG combines genetic, physiological and developmental information with functional genomics to identify and characterise genes controlling adaptation to abiotic stresses in wheat, barley and model species. The targeted stresses include drought, salinity, frost and nutrient deficiencies. This information is used to develop new strategies for enhancing stress tolerance, to develop plants tolerant to multiple stresses, and to identify mechanisms for extending stress tolerance well beyond that in existing germplasm.

The Director of the Waite Campus is Professor Geoff Fincher who runs the Enzymology and Cell Wall Research group.