Recently, Director General Xueping Zhou and Director Greg Murison signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in crop protection between IPP, CAAS and AgResearch Limited, New Zealand.

Both Parties agree to implement the MOU to cooperate and collaborate in following research fields: 1) Research and application of monitoring and controlling technology of grassland insect pests, grassland rodent and grassland weeds; 2) Research and application of Integrated Pest Management technology of crop diseases and insect pests; 3) Research and application of Integrated Pest Management technology of vegetable diseases and insect pests; 4) Development and application of bio-control product and technology of pests in agriculture; 5) Research and application of pesticide residue analytical technology, Pesticide environmental fate and pesticide safety evaluation; 6) Research and application of biosecurity and invasion biology to eradicate, mitigate or minimize impacts of agricultural pests. Both Parties will carry out the MOU through a number of possible activities including the following: 1) Organization of aligned scientific conferences, scientific seminars, and training activities; 2) Encouragement of cooperative research between the related laboratories of the two Parties; 3) Application for international projects from national and international funding sources, and regional donors to support the scientists from the Parties to carry out R&D activities.

It is learned that AgResearch was created along with New Zealand's other Crown Research Institutes in 1992. It is one of the New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institutes with over 800 staff and dedicated to both basic and applied sciences in the areas of pastoral, agri-food and agri-technology in New Zealand agriculture.