FABI welcomed eight new interns to the Institute on 5 February. The new cohort will complete a 12-month Internship in Phytosanitation and Biosecurity under the auspices of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology at FABI. The new interns are: Annah Boreni , Forgiveness Chiloane , Charmaine Mabena , Nomasonto Mahlaba , Phenyo Mokgadi , Steven Shange , Nolusizu Sithole , and Nosihle Xulu . FABI Director Prof. Bernard Slippers welcomed the group before handing it over to the CPHB Project Manager and internship coordinator, Prof. Martin Coetzee , who introduced them to the Institute and outlined their roles and training in the Internship programme. This year, FABI received sponsorship for six Interns’ training from the South African Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA) . SACTA was created as the legitimate central institution which administers the breeding levies for all self-pollinated grain and oilseed crops, specifically wheat, barley, soya beans, oats and lupin cultivars. One of the eight interns, funded by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) , will be working in the FABI Diagnostic Clinic , where she will gain experience in various plant diagnostics methods, and one intern by Prof. Mike Wingfield to assist in diagnostic work.