HIP Program Grows Next-gen Weed Researchers
11 December 2025, AU: An international collaboration to develop innovative weed control solutions for Australian grain growers has grown the scientific expertise and global knowledge of more than 50 young researchers.
In 2015, in a long-term strategic initiative, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) invested in a partnership with Bayer Crop Science. The long-term strategic initiative aimed to investigate new herbicide modes of action to help Australian grain growers manage weeds.
The Herbicide Innovation Partnership (HIP) has delivered promising results by identifying chemistry candidates to manage herbicide resistance. A secondary aim of the partnership has been to build Australia’s scientific capacity in industrial research.
From 2015 to 2025, through the partnership, 57 postdoctoral researchers from Australia and New Zealand have had the opportunity to spend two years at Bayer’s research laboratories in Frankfurt, Germany.
Recently GRDC and Bayer celebrated the final cohort of postdoctoral researchers to go through the HIP program.
The 11 postdoc researchers are the fifth and final group to complete their postdoc through the program, which has been an outstanding success when it comes to developing the next generation of herbicide discovery chemists and weed scientists.
GRDC Managing Director Nigel Hart said HIP had provided young researchers with specialised training in world-class laboratories in Germany, while working on Australian-focused outcomes for improved weed control.
“Weeds are the single most significant cause of crop losses globally and are estimated to cost Australian grain growers almost $3.3 billion – or about $146 per hectare – annually,” Mr Hart said.
“GRDC initiated the HIP in 2015 in response to the needs of Australian growers, who were facing more herbicide resistance issues and the risk of losing current chemicals due to changing local and global regulations.
“Importantly, the partnership also included the opportunity for Australian and New Zealand researchers to do their postdoctoral research in Germany, with the aim of developing significant research expertise for Australian and global weed science.
“A decade later many of these researchers are highly qualified and well-regarded contributors to the research community with the potential to benefit Australian research for decades to come, if not generations.
Building research capacity and capability has long been a priority for GRDC. We understand having highly qualified, globally connected researchers is critical and we’re proud to have supported the researchers who have completed their postdocs through this HIP program.
Bayer Crop Science Product Unit Lead Herbicide Research Dr Jens Ackerstaff said the capacity building program had been impactful.
“The postdoctoral fellows from Australia and New Zealand have greatly helped in identifying new herbicidal molecules with resistance-breaking properties especially to the local market needs,” Dr Ackerstaff said.
“The impact of their work is already being felt in our now advanced field trial candidates, and their legacy will help shape future weed control solutions, not just in Australia but around the world.
“The HIP program developed their specialised skills in advanced methodologies for herbicide discovery and resistance management, equipping them with improved knowledge of developing chemistry to manage global weed issues and bringing them to commercial reality.”
PostDoc quotes from most recent HIP cohort
Shaun Rees: “The HIP collaboration was an incredible opportunity for young scientists from Australia and New Zealand to gain a foothold in the highly competitive field of agrochemical research. It provided hands-on experience in crop protection chemistry and allowed us to be active contributors in research projects aimed at delivering solutions for farmers back home and around the world. This experience laid a strong foundation for my career, from which I am now continuing to pursue within the agrochemical industry.”
Tyler Fahrenhorst-Jones: “As part of the Herbicide Innovation Partnership between Bayer and the GRDC, I had the opportunity to collaborate with global industry leaders on pressing agricultural challenges. The initiative strengthened my expertise in crop protection and allowed me to contribute to research that benefits growers worldwide. This rewarding experience provided invaluable insights into the innovation process that brings research out of the lab and into the field, which I am eager to apply moving forward.”
China Payne: “The Herbicide Innovation Partnership has been an important and rewarding part of my research journey. It gave me the chance to move to Europe and work within a truly international team, where I’ve seen how different perspectives and backgrounds can strengthen scientific ideas. Beyond the science, the collaboration highlighted how valuable it is to link fundamental research with industry needs, and how this exchange can lead to real progress in agriculture. The experience has not only developed my skills as a researcher, but also shaped the way I think about collaboration, innovation, and the broader impact of my work.”
Additional background
Weeds are the single most significant reason for crop losses globally, increasing management costs and threatening food security. Australia has the second-highest number of herbicide-resistant weeds in the world, sitting just behind the United States. Herbicide resistance here started around 30 years ago.
The rapid evolution of resistant weeds such as ryegrass, wild radish and others is now threatening the productivity and profitability of Australian wheat production. The focus of HIP research has been to discover selective herbicides that target weeds of Australian importance for use in wheat and other broadacre crops.
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