Colorado State partners with manufacturers on research facility and scholarships

Colorado State University is partnering with two manufacturers to ramp up its agricultural research.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Zoetis has joined the university to open a new 3,000 square foot campus research lab, in which scientists from Zoetis and Colorado State will research the livestock immune system. Researchers hope to develop new immunotherapies that can replace antibiotics to treat illnesses in food-producing animals.

Alan Rudolph, CSU vice president for research, said the partnership is historic for the university. “We have never had a company co-locate on our campus,” he said.

The university has also partnered with seed and fertilizer producer Nutrien, which is giving CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences $10 million over the next decade. The annual $1 million contribution will fund several resources, including scholarships that aim to expand education for women and students from diverse backgrounds.

The funding will also be used for program developments to help students become career-ready, and for educational events, like CSU’s AgInnovation Summit, that focus on technology and innovation in agriculture.

“I’m especially excited for our students,” said James Pritchett, interim dean in the agricultural college. “Nutrien’s gift is transformational for attracting, retaining and placing talent in agriculture.”

The college reports having more than 2,200 undergraduate student majors and minors, 65% of whom are female, and 298 graduate students.