La Trobe U has $10m from the Victorian state government for an “agriculture production platform.”

This appears to be very tech glasshouses and “applied industry-agriculture platforms”, which are plant phenomics growth chambers.

The new infrastructure will be at LT U’s Agribio Centre, on the Bundoora campus.

The announcement follows Spring Street committing $17m of the $23m needed for a “digital innovation hub” and a “bio-innovation hub” (CMM March 16).

In May VC John Dewar responded to a $350m university investment fund in the state budget, saying, he was “deeply grateful to the Victorian government for acknowledging the pivotal role universities play in assisting economic recovery; in educating and re-skilling the workforce and in conducting life-changing research for which we are globally recognised,” (CMM May 20).

And in June he contrasted the state government’s budget commitment of $101m to the La Trobe Sports Park with “no specific assistance” for universities in the federal budget, (CMM June 7).