Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships

Public-private partnerships are crucial to accelerating bold solutions to urgent food and agriculture challenges. These solutions are imminently needed to provide every person access to affordable, nutritious food grown in ways that sustain the environment. 

Our agile approach leverages public funds, allocated to us by Congress through the Farm Bill, to form partnerships that match the public funds with private sector investments. Through public-private partnerships, we double federal investment – and often garner more than a 1:1 match. 

Public-private partnerships position us to convene stakeholders both inside and outside the food and agriculture industry. Our convening capabilities and the depth of our relationships with wide-ranging stakeholders create an atmosphere of collaboration that is unique within the agriculture research community. It is not every day that competitors join forces to address a common challenge, but our mission helps unusual partners work together for the common good.

Our research focuses on imminent challenges where science is either filling a knowledge gap or developing a solution previously deemed impossible. When private-sector partners participate in research with us, the results likely are closer to application. At the same time, our research is available to the public allowing stakeholders to implement breakthroughs swiftly and efficiently.