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Funding granted to Dundee’s James Hutton Institute as part of the Tay Cities Deal will help research into new methods of farming and protecting Scotland’s most valuable crop.

Professor Colin Campbell, the chief executive of the research centre, is set to speak at the Courier’s next Business Briefing later this month.

The online event will explore how the private sector can engage with the Tay Cities Deal.

The £700 million deal was finally signed in December, with promises of investment and jobs. The James Hutton Institute is set to receive £62m, which will create 2,600 jobs.

The cash is earmarked for two separate projects at the Institute.

The International Barley Hub will support the diverse industry sectors that depend on barley, Scotland and the UK’s most valuable crop. It will help create better barley varieties that are resilient to climate change and have even more health promoting benefits.

The Advanced Plant Growth Centre aims to revolutionise crop production systems to produce food locally, 365 days a year with less environmental impact.

Both are flagship initiatives for the Institute’s new five-year Open Science Campus plan, which encourages more private and public sector partners to co-locate with the James Hutton Institute and get access to their world-class facilities and people.

Prof Campbell said he was really excited by the opportunities the funding will bring.

He said: “We are delighted to be part of this event and hope we can connect with others to get even more value out of the TCD by working together across the region.”

The Tay Cities deal will see investment made in 26 key regional projects and it is hoped this will create more than 6,000 jobs.

Key commitments also include £25m for life sciences projects in Dundee, £26.5m for St Andrews University’s new sustainable energy plant in Guardbridge and a £26.5m fund to support “mercury” projects in Angus.

Held in association with chartered accountants MHA Henderson Loggie, the free event will be hosted by Ellis Watson, chairman of Tay Cities Region Deal Enterprise Forum.

The free briefing runs from 8am to 9am on March 25. To register, please go to thecourierbriefings.co.uk