This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project is a Type II (A:B) partnership between The University of Georgia (UGA), a NSF PFI graduate (0125304), and Texas Tech University, where one of the members of the current project team and operations were housed for research conducted under another NSF-supported partnership program: Plant Genome Research Project in the Division of Biological Infrastructure (9872630). In the pursuit of a vision of U.S. leadership for a global transition to bio-based products, the project team seeks to develop and implement genomic enabling tools needed to reinvigorate the infusion of genetic diversity into the cotton gene pool, providing environmentally benign solutions to the needs of producers, processors, and consumers. Cotton genome sequencing is proceeding rapidly, and the rationale for the proposed project is that the greatest challenge facing the cotton community is the conversion of sequence to knowledge. While the functions of perhaps half of the cotton genes can be deduced from comparison to botanical models, the greater complexity of the cotton genome than those of botanical models will require much new investment to realize the potential benefits of its sequencing.
The state of Georgia recognized about two decades ago that success of businesses and industries demanded close ties between basic research and commercialization, and has positioned itself well to nurture new ventures spawned by basic research findings through the various stages of commercialization. The network of partners on the project will be key to sustained transformation of enabling resources into economic benefits. This transformation is expected to occur along at least three avenues: (1) New ventures to add value to bio-based products, expanding and diversifying regional entrepreneurial opportunities; (2) Empowering businesses by partnering with public researchers as a virtual R&D resource to identify and capture value, and (3) Elevating the level and quality of science that can be done in cotton, as a result of strengthening public-sector research capacity. To more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise, the project team will partner with effective outreach networks such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) to nurture the career development of home-grown professionals with the training needed to exploit these tools, while preserving the links of these individuals to rural communities that have long been casualties of brain drain. The proposed activities are closely-tied to strong training and outreach programs with a strong history of engaging groups under-represented in the sciences, and which benefit from major commitments at the institutional and state level.
Partners at the inception of the project are Academic Institutions: The University of Georgia (lead institution) and Texas Tech University; Private Sector Organizations: The Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, Inc.; Cotton, Inc.; and The Georgia Research Alliance; and State and Local Government Agencies: The Georgia Agribusiness Council, The Georgia Traditional Industries Program, and The OneGeorgia Authority.
