Part of the image collection of the International Rice Research Institute (irri.org)

OryzaNet

Connecting the global rice research community

A BBSRC-funded international network supporting collaboration, innovation, and training across rice research: from fundamental science to real-world impact.

£1 billion

The UK rice industry is worth nearly £1 billion annually.

20%

Rice provides around 20% of the daily calories consumed worldwide

10 billion

A growing global population by 2050 makes sustainable, resilient rice production urgent

Rice is essential and under pressure

Rice is a staple food for around half of the world's population and a vital source of calories and protein. It is grown across diverse and often challenging environments, from flooded lowlands to marginal upland soils, making it particularly vulnerable to climate change.

With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, improving the sustainability, resilience, yield, and nutritional quality of rice is critical. Rice research plays a central role in enhancing food security, strengthening livelihoods, and supporting climate resilience worldwide.

The UK delivers world-leading rice research across genetics, plant science, nutrition, computation, and social science, but greater coordination is needed to maximise its global impact.

OryzaNet brings this community together.

Part of the image collection of the International Rice Research Institute (irri.org)

Our mission

OryzaNet is a BBSRC-funded network that connects people, capability, and knowledge across the UK and internationally to strengthen rice research and its global impact.

International and interdisciplinary collaboration
Training in cutting-edge technologies and methods
Early Career Researchers as future leaders
Equitable, inclusive, and ethical global partnerships

Together, we aim to shape the future of rice science and production.

Join the network

Join the OryzaNet community

XXX members and counting

Be part of a growing international network of researchers and industry partners working to advance rice science.

Free to join • Open to researchers and industry collaborators

A growing international network

Connecting UK-based rice research with global partners and programmes.

Latest news

Not the Real Grain: UK Targets Counterfeit Basmati Rice
17 March 2026

Not the Real Grain: UK Targets Counterfeit Basmati Rice

UK authorities have reinforced basmati rice authenticity standards after uncovering counterfeit products. Four people were arrested in an investigation by the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit. The legally enforced Basmati Code of Practice, backed by DNA testing pioneered with Bangor University’s expertise, aims to protect consumers and genuine producers.

Read more →

Network leads

Professor Erik Murchie

Professor Erik Murchie

Project Lead

Dr Katherine Steele

Dr Katherine Steele

Project Co-Lead

Dr Paul Williams

Dr Paul Williams

Project Co-Lead

Professor Julie Gray

Professor Julie Gray

Project Co-Lead

Dr Gareth Norton

Dr Gareth Norton

Project Co-Lead

Dr Pallavi Singh

Dr Pallavi Singh

Project Co-Lead

Dr Andrew Jones

Dr Andrew Jones

Project Co-Lead

Our partners

A leading UK research university and the home institution of the OryzaNet project lead.
A research-intensive university in Wales with expertise in plant sciences and environmental research.
A Russell Group university in Northern Ireland contributing to rice genetics and stress-tolerance research.
A leading UK university with strengths in plant biology and molecular genetics.
A historic Scottish university with research strengths in plant science and sustainability.
A UK university with world-leading research in photosynthesis and crop improvement.
A Russell Group university contributing expertise in plant–microbe interactions and crop resilience.
A top UK university providing gene editing and transformation hubs for rice research.

OryzaNet is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.