The centre will house sophisticated growing environments, glasshouse automation technologies, leading edge digital imaging technologies and sophisticated software to measure plant growth and development.

It will provide new opportunities in digital imaging and computer science.

The ‘research hotel’ environment of the Centre should bring students, scientists and high-profile projects to Canberra, building on the world-class research carried out already by CSIRO and the ANU.

According to CSIRO Plant Industry Chief Dr Jeremy Burdon, the centre will lead to the development of new and improved crops, healthier food, more sustainable agricultural practices, and improved maintenance and regeneration of biodiversity.

Co-located at CSIRO’s Black Mountain site and the Australian National University, the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre, as it is called, will provide them with access to the next generation of robotic and imaging plant research tools.

Senator Carr said during the opening, it would be the first publicly-funded, publicly accessible facility of its kind in the world.

“Plant phenomics is a science that has the power to transform our lives," he said.

"It can help us tackle the most pressing challenges of our time – including global food shortages, the demand for alternative fuels, and climate change.”

The centre is part of an initiative of the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, supported by the ACT and South Australian governments, CSIRO, the Australian National University and the University of Adelaide.