Ohio State and Wageningen Partnership

Dr. Jake Holley

A memorandum of understanding has officially been signed, launching a new partnership between The Ohio State University and Wageningen University & Research. Both institutions are considered global leaders in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), and the collaboration has the potential to accelerate the transfer of advanced greenhouse technologies and expertise into North America.

Under the agreement, Ohio State and WUR will collaborate on research initiatives, faculty and scholar exchanges, workshops and student training opportunities. The partnership is expected to strengthen both academic research and workforce development within the rapidly growing CEA industry.

I expect this collaboration to have a significant impact not only on business and technology development, but also on expanding the pipeline of skilled labor entering the U.S. greenhouse industry.

Ohio State has steadily positioned itself at the forefront of CEA research over the past decade. Following the arrival of Distinguished Professor Dr. Chieri Kubota in 2017 and the opening of the university’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex in 2022, the program has continued to expand its global influence. This latest partnership with WUR represents another major step forward, further cementing Ohio State’s role as a leading force in controlled environment agriculture research. IG