During a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Innovation Campus at South Dakota State University (SDSU), Gov. Mike Rounds announced today that a sixth university-based research center will be created.

The 2010 ResearchCenter for Drought Tolerance Biotechnology at South DakotaStateUniversity will join five other highly-specialized research centers already in operation. Earlier this year, the legislature agreed to Gov. Rounds’ request to create a fifth center, which focuses on Bio Processing, expanding on a successful effort begun in 2004 to target state investments in specialized research at South Dakota public universities.

“There is no indication that the current six-year drought cycle will end any time soon,” said Gov. Rounds. “The new DroughtToleranceBiotechnologyResearchCenter will foster the development of new commercial varieties in corn, wheat, oilseeds and possibly even short-season soybeans.”

The DroughtToleranceBiotechnologyResearchCenter will be a true partnership involving the many seed and crop related entities, crop research and promotion boards and individual biotechnology companies. The partners have already committed more than $6 million over the next three years to build the SeedTechnologyCenter on the Innovation Campus to support research efforts. Gov. Rounds will introduce legislation during the 2007 Legislative Session seeking almost $3 million for the creation of the new research center.

Gov. Rounds noted that after only 24 months in operation, the four original research centers now report a $40 million economic impact from a state investment of $5.4 million. The research centers are an integral part of the governor’s 2010 economic development initiative.

The new drought tolerance biotechnology center will be located within the new Innovation Campus at SDSU. The center will focus on research that leads to emerging technologies in drought tolerant crops. This research could potentially accelerate the availability of drought resistant products to the market by one to three years. A primary focus of the center will be to identify genes associated with drought, temperature, disease resistance and crop quality. All of these traits are important for South Dakota’s growing biofuel and feedstock industries.

The center’s principal investigators are Dr. John Kirby and Dr. Gregg Carlson.