Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) Information Session
Wednesday, March 29, 3:00-5:00 pm
Lecture Room 3rd floor, Alumni Center
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Wheat Genetics Resource Center I/UCRC are cosponsoring an information session on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center’s (I/UCRC) program. An IUCRC enables industrially-relevant, pre-competitive research via a multi-member, sustained partnerships among industry, academe, and government. NSF supports the development and evolution of IUCRCs, providing a financial and procedural framework for membership and operations in addition to best practices learned over decades of fostering public/private partnerships that provide significant value to the nation, industry and university faculty and students.
At this Information Session, Will Zorrilla, Managing Director of the Wheat Genetics Resources Center (WGRC) I/UCRC (K-States only I/UCRC), will discuss developing this center and submitting a proposal to NSF. The WGRC I/UCRC's mission is to mobilize genetic diversity to enhance wheat yields and meet food security needs by mining and harnessing the defenses and valuable attributes of wheat’s ancient ancestors to help breeders, and then farmers, produce high quantities of high quality bread wheat. Housed and operated at K-State’s Department of Plant Pathology, Colorado State University and the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, the Center features integrated application of cytogenetics, molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, high-throughput genotyping, mapping and phenotyping. Industry members, including growers, seed, milling and food manufacturing companies, work with Principal Investigators to develop the pre-competitive research portfolio, providing market awareness while accelerating commercialization of important genes and technologies. Faculty and students gain valuable contacts and research experience with industry ensuring the enriched development of the next generation of crop scientists.
Given K-State’s many research strengths, our institution should have more than one I/UCRC. Attend and learn how to develop one of these centers and a submission to NSF.