The transformational grant will fuel academic excellence and elevate campus while strengthening food safety, innovation, workforce development and technology.
Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources has received a $28.9 million USDA grant to establish a Food Science, Safety, and Workforce Development Complex within its planned new flagship building. The facility will integrate food safety research, product development, pilot-scale processing, consumer testing and workforce training, strengthening Texas Tech’s ability to move innovations from the laboratory to industry while addressing emerging food-system challenges.
Why This Matters:
- Research Leadership: The complex will significantly expand Davis College’s research capabilities and competitiveness, positioning Texas Tech to develop science-based solutions in food safety, manufacturing and food innovation.
- Workforce Development: Students and industry professionals will gain hands-on experience with commercial-scale technologies through academic programs, certificates, microcredentials and continuing education, helping build a highly skilled food and agricultural workforce.
- National Impact: By connecting research, testing, processing and industry collaboration under one roof, the facility can accelerate new products and technologies into the marketplace while contributing to U.S. food security and strengthening Texas Tech’s national role in agricultural innovation.
Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources has received a $28.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish the Food Science, Safety, and Workforce Development Complex in what will be the new Davis College Flagship Building. The grant was awarded through USDA’s Research Facilities Act Program, which helps universities build and modernize agricultural research facilities.
“Agriculture has been central to Texas Tech’s mission since the university was founded, and it remains essential to our future,” said Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec. “We are grateful to USDA for recognizing the significance of the work done by Davis College and the role Texas Tech can play in advancing food security and agricultural innovation.”
The complex will house food innovation and sensory evaluation laboratories, pilot-processing facilities and spaces for industry collaboration. By bringing every stage of development under one roof, it will place food safety research and product development alongside pilot-scale processing, quality testing, consumer evaluation and workforce training — giving new products a direct path from the lab to industry.
With a focus on science-based solutions to the food system’s newest challenges, the complex will expand Davis College’s research capacity and competitiveness while preparing the next generation of food scientists and industry leaders. That work will reach well beyond Lubbock, strengthening U.S. food security and positioning Texas Tech to contribute to food-system advances nationwide.
“Our continued growth as a founding college is a testament to the role we play in our university’s mission and underscores the reality that we have outgrown our current infrastructure,” said Clint Krehbiel, dean of Davis College. “By centralizing food safety research, product development and workforce training under one roof, our students are gaining hands-on experience with commercial-scale technology that will prepare them to be the agricultural leaders of tomorrow. We are profoundly grateful to USDA and the visionary donors who have already stepped forward to make this possible, turning this ambitious vision into reality for our students, our faculty and national food security.”
Plans call for flexible research space that can adapt to new technologies and evolving industry needs without major renovation, allowing researchers to respond quickly to challenges in food safety, manufacturing and innovation for decades to come.
Students, industry professionals and entrepreneurs will gain hands-on experience with commercial-scale technology through professional certificates, continuing education, workforce microcredentials and applied training programs.
Darren Hudson, associate dean for strategic initiatives and assessment and the Larry Combest Endowed Chair for Agricultural Competitiveness, led the grant proposal and will serve as project director and the primary liaison with USDA. He has also been one of the core faculty leaders in planning the new building.
“We are humbled and honored by USDA’s investment in Texas Tech and Davis College with this award,” Hudson said. “The research and teaching spaces created by this project will have national impacts on the science of food innovation, safety and production, as well as create the next-generation workforce in the food industry. At the same time, it allows us to directly impact our regional stakeholders through increased product development and value that support our farm and ranch profitability.”
The new building, which will house the complex, is a centralized, three-story facility the college will build on 15th Street. The grant, combined with philanthropic gifts from ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University, is propelling the project forward.
As one of Texas Tech’s four founding colleges, Davis College has educated students since the university opened in 1925. Enrollment has grown from about 2,800 students in fall 2020 to nearly 3,300 in fall 2025, mirroring growth across Texas Tech, which set a record this fall with 46,296 students. While its buildings have been renovated over the years, the college has outgrown its current space.
Modern, collaborative spaces and equipment will help Davis College continue to recruit top faculty and students and keep its research responsive to the changing needs of agricultural systems. Groundbreaking is anticipated in the 2026-27 academic year.
Donors have already made several significant gifts to the new Davis College Flagship Building. Those interested in giving can visit go.ttu.edu/future-of-davis for more information.
Publicly launched in October 2024, ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University is a campaign for impact, propelling the university to new heights of excellence and global recognition while continuing to provide a world-class education for students in Texas and beyond. To date, the campaign has raised more than $1 billion thanks to the generosity of more than 94,000 donors, alumni and friends supporting the priorities of Transform Lives, Fuel Academic Excellence, Elevate Campus & Community and Build Champions. For more information or to support ON&ON, visit ttu.edu/campaign.
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