The 60th annual Farm Science Review opened this weeek near London, Ohio and began with a new multimillion-dollar research collaboration between The Ohio State University and Nationwide.
The AgTech Innovation Hub will be facilitated by the offices of innovation for both organizations as well as the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). Nationwide and Ohio State will work together to encourage the development of new solutions that will help the agricultural ecosystem while better understanding, managing and mitigating climate risk.
“Ohio farmers need new science, new strategies, new skills, new tools, new funding and new collaborations. I’m so happy today to have the honor to announce a new partnership between [CFAES] and Nationwide,” said Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson. “[The Innovation Hub] will offer fertile ground for programs and ideas that contribute to agricultural resiliency, food security and the economic security of farmers and food producers.”
Nationwide is pledging up to $2 million in initial funding to identify and execute initiatives for the Innovation Hub and plans to provide additional funding and resources in the future. The partnership was announced at the 2022 Farm Science Review.
“The partnership also creates opportunities for collaborations across institutions and industries, developing new solutions to help the supply chain for other challenges,” said Mark Bervin, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Property and Casualty. “We are so excited to partner with The Ohio State University and we are excited to see the impact that we will make on the agricultural community, not just here in Ohio, but everywhere.”
The AgTech Innovation Hub will provide a variety of tools, resources, skillsets and funding platforms to address the dynamic and changing needs of agriculture innovation to minimize climate risk and accurately insure those risks.
“This partnership will build on the collaborative that Nationwide and the Nationwide Foundation already have with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and The Ohio State University,” said Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State’s vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES. “It will challenge our students and faculty to bring innovative solutions to the table to tackle the grand challenges we face regarding the nexus of ecosystem sustainability, food security, and viable production agriculture.”
The Innovation Hub will promote applied research, technology transfer, the exchange of knowledge and experience, and transdisciplinary innovation in support of agricultural technology. Programs may include early-stage entrepreneurs, mature companies or producers developing new or value-added products or manufacturing processes.
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