Ohio State University partners with Nationwide on AgTech Innovation Hub

Ohio State University and Nationwide have collaborated to form the AgTech Innovation Hub. This hub will be facilitated by both organizations and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

The two central Ohio-based institutions will work together to encourage the development of new solutions that will help the agricultural ecosystem while better understanding, managing and mitigating climate risk.

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.

“Transitioning to a green economy, climate change ― these are long-view issues that won’t be fixed overnight,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide’s CEO. “Agriculture is a part of Nationwide’s DNA, and we believe it’s important to invest in resources that pave the way for a vibrant and robust food supply chain. This innovation hub will be an incubator for those groundbreaking ideas. We are proud to partner with our colleagues and experts at Ohio State and to provide the funding to support this exciting and important work.”

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 Hub will promote applied research, technology transfer, the exchange of knowledge & experience, and transdisciplinary innovation in support of agricultural technology. Programs in scope may include early-stage entrepreneurs, mature companies or producers developing new or value-added products or manufacturing processes, collaborations across institutions or industries, or those seeking new solutions to supply chain or other challenges in the food and agricultural ecosystems.

For more information about the OSU AgTech Innovation Hub, visit https://news.nationwide.com/osuhub.