Implementation Strategies

The Center is an administrative component of the Department of Horticultural Sciences. Faculty involved in Center projects are members of the Center. Center programs are jointly planned and coordinated by the Center director and an advisory committee consisting of participating department heads, research scientists and members from corporate affiliates in the vegetable and fruit industry. The Center is located in the Centeq Research Plaza in the TAMU Research Park. Office and laboratory space is available for vegetable industry members to occupy and conduct cooperative research.

Participating faculty retain their department and off-campus center affiliations. They associate with the Center by mutually agreed upon criteria, such as commitment to Center objectives, potential to network with others, participate in joint projects and assist corporate members. As research needs change, additional faculty from TAMU, medical centers, other universities, federal programs and industry may participate in the Center. A potential expansion in the number of participating scientists comes with the construction and staffing of the Center for Crop Biotechnology (CCB) that is primarily involved with biotechnology research at TAMU. The CCB provides plant growth facilities and specialized equipment to stimulate collaboration among researchers in genetic engineering, molecular biology and other disciplines. Research conducted at the CCB focuses on the genetic enhancement of crops important to Texas and the U.S.

The growth of the Center is determined by the ability of the participating scientists to obtain funding. The Center provides visibility with an expanded pool of research expertise enabling scientists to compete more effectively for industry grants, federal grants and new state initiatives. The development of external cooperative industry relationships and their leadership on the advisory committee are critical in obtaining additional funding.