Monogram is the embodiment of Cross Institute activities in Grass and Cereal Genetics and Genomics. The Directors of the John Innes Centre (JIC), Rothamsted Research (RRes), The Institute for Biological and Environmental Research (IBERS), and The Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) have made a commitment to align resources to address strategic goals.

Monogram inherits a portfolio of BBSRC funded research in the institutes, along with The Scottish Governments RERAD funded work at SCRI. BBSRC has asked the CIP to embrace relevant projects funded under the Crop Science Initiative, and the BBSRC/INRA initiative. Many of the scientists involved have a strong track record of world leading scientific contribution. There are already many examples of projects where Monogram scientists, along with colleagues in other institutions, come together to address the major challenges facing science and society with funding from BBSRC and others. The CIP aims to further enhance these synergies, and to add value to individual areas of focus by a better alignment of resources.

The Monogram Cross Institute Programme (CIP) forms the core of a larger activity that provides a UK focus on grain and grass research. The immediate focus of the CIP programmes are wheat, barley, oats and Lolium, with links into work on C4 biomass grasses and maize. The research explores strategies involving identifying candidate genes controlling specific traits, verifying their function, and developing closely linked or gene specific markers for the deployment of the best alleles. Traits may be conferred by multiple genes whose products cause major changes in cell physiology. Stacking multiple traits into a single cultivar will call for efficient tools and is a major challenge. Monogram aims to coordinate, focus and strengthen UK genomics, address infrastructure disparities within the institutes, and form a focal point for integration of the UK community within the international community. Many of these activities are carried out through the Network in collaboration with those from other organisations.

The CIP has a Programme Manager, and a Steering Group with representatives from each of the four participating bodies. Each institute has identified participating scientists and projects which fall within Monogram, and two working meetings of around 25 scientists representing the core group have taken place at Rothamsted Research. The meetings take place in November (approximately six months after the Network meeting) allowing those present to meet informally, to initiate contacts with other groups, and to address the practical issues that Monogram is facing, i.e. How to add value by connecting research across sites? What synergies can be identified across crop/trait areas? What are the connecting programmes? How will the sequencing of the close model Brachypodium affect our science?