TEMPO.CO, Jember - The University of Jember, East Java collaborated with Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) in France to develop biotechnology in agriculture and health. One of the current partnership programs was a research on genome editing in rice.

The study was initiated by researchers in Tegalboto campus who joined in a research group called Kelompok Riset (KeRis) Plant Health. The research object was rice and other plants including sugar cane, cassava, and coffee, which expected to develop seed plants that resistant to bacteria and can gain high productivity.

The ties with IRD France also aimed at supporting the construction of the biotechnology center at Jember University.

Chief of the KeRis Plant Health research group Tri Chandra Setiawati, said that the collaboration in the research directorate would include science publication as well as the development of the Sister Lab with the French institute.

"Through the partnership of Sister Lab, researchers of Jember University will have a chance to conduct a study in IRD laboratory and publicize it on the accredited scientific journal in France, and vice versa," Tri explained on Thursday, August 16, 2018.

DAVID PRIYASIDARTA