top of page
Oranges in tree

SOUTHERN REGION

agInnovation South

agInnovation South is one of five regional associations responsible for facilitating the cooperation of regional and national research. The research is supported in part by the Multistate Research Fund (MRF), which is a federal appropriation authorized by the Hatch Act. Additional support comes from other federal programs as well as state and private sources. The research program focuses on regional priorities that are identified and developed jointly by State Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES) Directors, Departmental Chairs, and participating scientists.

​

agInnovation South is a formal coalition of directors of fifteen state agricultural experiment stations (SAES) in the southern US.  The southern SAES are located on the campuses of the region’s 15 Land-grant Universities including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  All of these stations contribute to a nationwide research system dedicated to meeting the global challenges associated with agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and human nutrition by offering the best available science.

 

agInnovation South is an autonomous organization that conducts regional activities in alignment with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Board on Agricultural Assembly (BAA) through the Experiment Station Section (ESS) and the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP). agInnovation South serves as a liaison between the Southern AES Directors and the USDA regarding initiatives and programs that are funded through the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

map of southeastern US
wheat

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN REGION

Mission

​agInnovation South strengthens the collective research capacity of academic institutions to develop innovative solutions for regional, national, and global challenges in agriculture, the environment, and life sciences. ​

​

​Vision

​Agricultural, food, natural resources, and human systems throughout the Southern region are being transformed for a healthier and more sustainable world through consensus and collaborative discovery, translation, application, and adoption. ​

​​​

Priorities

Increase Scope, Variety, and Relevance of Our Collective Research Portfolios

  • Strengthen our current relationship with USDA-NIFA by continuing to address high priority research aligned with their goals, and forge new relationships with other funding agencies. This requires a commitment to collaboration, identifying high-priority research areas where, as a region, we can build on specialized strengths of individual SAES to make an impact.​

​​

Strengthen Collaborative Research that has Regional Relevance

  • Broaden the scope of activities we support to elevate and extend beyond Multistate Research projects, promoting science-based decision support to address the complex, multifaceted challenges facing agriculture and life sciences.

  • Building on areas of synergy among SAESs and incentivizing collaborations will make us more competitive for research funding and stimulate the formation of regional centers of excellence.

  • Strategic investments in Multistate Research projects can provide incentives to engage in competitive grant programs.

​​

Support and Develop Excellent Human Capital 

  • Create opportunities to enhance the recognition and visibility of our faculty at the regional and national levels.

  • Engage graduate students and postdoctoral researchers by providing regional opportunities to broaden their professional experiences.

​​​

Showcase Member Successes, Both Internally and Externally 

  • Increase the clarity, consistency, and scale of messaging coming from our research programs by speaking with a coordinated voice on regional issues that complements, reinforces and elevates messages from our respective universities. The scope of our individual communications can be broadened by engaging communicators from our member institutions to effectively network and provide substantive and regular information to generate impactful products.

 

bottom of page