Forty scientists and support staff at SCRI are being honoured with long service awards.

Between them they have contributed more than twelve hundred years of service. Two members of the team have clocked up forty years or more; a further twelve workers have been at SCRI for thirty-five years or longer.

SCRI’s Director and Chief Executive, Professor Peter Gregory, said: “The strength of any organisation lies in the people who work there.  For SCRI it is not only the individuals but the high quality of their team working that makes the difference."

“Our staff work together to conduct research and to deliver it to customers. We have a wide variety of scientific and technical specialists at SCRI, and these are supported by farming specialists, engineers and administrators. Today we are celebrating the service given by so many over the last quarter century and more,” said Professor Gregory.

He went on: “Earlier this year independent research indicated SCRI generates an estimated £160 million of business every year in the farming, manufacturing and retail sectors in Scotland and the rest of the UK."

“Much of that success is down to our staff.”

The staff receiving awards have an extraordinary range of memories and reflections of the last forty years.  One plant breeder spoke of the radical changes in the way new varieties are developed and brought to the market. He also acknowledged the modern complexities of intellectual property rights.

Many of the long service award winners point to the huge changes made possible by the digital revolution. Some of the scientists recall the days when evaluation of experimental data had to be done using mechanical calculators to carry out analysis.

A member of SCRI’s library staff says advances in information technology have transformed the way research is carried out using scientific publications and journals.

On the human level staff with long service speak of the changes in society during the period with more and more women being employed at SCRI from the 1970’s onwards.

More information is available from:

Phil Taylor, Head of Communications, SCRI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA. Tel: 01382 562731.