Monheim, Lubbock (Texas, USA), May 4, 2010 – Bayer CropScience announces a USD 7.5 million contribution to the Texas Tech University Department of Plant and Soil Science, Lubbock, Texas. The contribution in support of new research initiatives and facilities development is eligible for a full funding match through the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP), creating a USD 15 million total contribution to the University.
USD 10 million will be allocated to support a research collaboration between Bayer CropScience and the university, and USD 5 million will go toward a planned Plant and Soil Sciences Building. The collaborative research project will be focused on developing cotton with improved fiber properties. The project includes scientists affiliated with the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute within the Department of Plant and Soil Science.
”Texas Tech is a leading agricultural research institution with which Bayer CropScience has enjoyed a close relationship,” said Joachim Schneider, Head of the BioScience Buiness Unit of Bayer CropScience. “We’re committed to delivering innovation in cotton that will improve the sustainability and economic value of cotton from the farm all the way to consumers. Texas Tech is a natural partner for us in this effort, as it has the drive, focus, cotton expertise and outstanding research capabilities that will be needed to turn promising research concepts into reality.”
“Bayer CropScience has a proven track record of innovation and success,” said Texas Tech University System Chancellor Kent Hance. “It is a world leader in crop protection and plant biotechnology, and we are honored that it continues to partner with Texas Tech to meet the needs of consumers and the cotton industry. This contribution provides a considerable boost toward Texas Tech’s goal of achieving Tier One research status.”
Texas Tech announced in September that it qualified for USD 21.5 million in matching grants through TRIP, established by the Texas Legislature for seven designated research universities to achieve national research university or Tier One status. TRIP grants match 100 percent of contributions and endowments between USD 2 million and USD 10 million.
“This contribution from Bayer CropScience will enhance our already formidable research and academics in the Department of Plant and Soil Science,” said Texas Tech President Guy Bailey. “It also continues a longstanding and productive research relationship between Texas Tech and Bayer CropScience.”
About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 6.5 billion (2009), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and traits. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of 18,700 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.
About Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University is a growing university on track to meet state criteria for designation as a National Research University. Established in 1923, Texas Tech has the distinction of being the largest comprehensive higher education institution in the western two-thirds of the state and serves a region larger than 46 of the nation’s 50 states. Its more than 30,000 students attend classes on a 1,840-acre campus that is the only in Texas to house undergraduate and graduate schools, a law school and medical school. Texas Tech offers more than 150 undergraduate, 100 master’s and 50 doctoral degree programs through 11 academic colleges, a graduate school and a school of law.
The Department of Plant and Soil Science is located in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Faculty teach and conduct research in areas including biotechnology; crop, soil and turf science, horticulture, pest management and crop production. Learn more at www.ttu.edu.