In May 2009 the Victorian Government announced a Plenary Group consortium was the successful bidder to finance, design, build, and maintain the Biosciences Research Centre (BRC). The BRC is a joint initiative of the Government of Victoria, through the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), and La Trobe University (La Trobe), and will be a world-class centre for agricultural biosciences research. To be built at La Trobe’s Bundoora campus, the new facility will accommodate up to 400 scientists and support staff, from DPI and La Trobe. On completion, DPI’s metropolitan-based Biosciences Research division staff will relocate to the new BRC, and will join La Trobe’s existing biosciences staff in research around plant and animal genomics, plant pathology, animal health and agricultural sustainability.