A research grant was awarded to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to study the genetic engineering of crops, a goal that will ultimately benefit southern Virginia Farmers who currently grow tobacco. The $890,000 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission was applied for by Virginia Tech with the Southern Virginia branch of the VTC and will use the money to create a research center at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

The VTC has a competitive grant program in which universities as well as government agencies can vie for the grants.

"The process has certain economic development objectives in mind and lets anyone with a worthy request ask for money," said Ned Stephenson, the acting executive director of the VTC.

The grant money is an award donation and will not be renewed, but Tech can always apply for different grants in the future.

"Generally speaking, 99 percent of the awards are one time grants and while there is a reporting process on the progress of the grant we have no influence once we award the money," Stephenson said.

The purpose of the VTC is to make payments to farmers that will compensate for the decline of tobacco, but more importantly to promote economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities.

According to reports from the IALR, the grant given to Tech will follow those same objectives. The research center will study genetic plant engineering. Genetic strengthening will hope to create crops that can economically replace tobacco in Virginia.

For example, a project at the new research center will study the genetic information and map out specific characteristics of strawberries. The center will then attempt to augment these traits to create a strawberry that can grow in southern Virginia and relieve the dependence on tobacco.

All three institutions feel responsible to provide economic opportunities to the state because the need for alternative crops in Virginia is important. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture, agriculture and forestry are Virginia's number one industry, contributing more than $47 billion to the state economy annually and representing more than 15 percent of total employment.

The VDACS also ranks tobacco sales as the most lucrative crop in the state, which in 2003 grossed just under $90 million. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, tobacco production is declining and in the state of Virginia the acres harvested dropped from around 54,000 acres in 1997 to around 30,000 acres in 2004.

"We have a responsibility to combine the research of the university with the economic interests of the state. The VTC has been very generous in recognizing Virginia Tech and giving us the opportunity to take new technologies and applying them to provide economic opportunities and alternatives for southern Virginia," said John Dooley, the vice provost for outreach and international affairs.

Dooley said the VTC has donated money to Tech in the past. The VTC, Virginia Tech and the IALR were all involved in the installation of a fiber optic backbone in southern Virginia. With continued work in agricultural areas Dooley expects that Virginia Tech will receive more grants in the future.

Craig Nessler, associate dean of research in the agriculture college, and Jerzy Nowak, head of the department of horticulture, were instrumental in requesting the grant and will be the leaders in the establishment of the new research center. Both were unavailable for comment.