AgResearch Strategic Action Plan

Enhancing Excellence, 2025-2030

The five-year strategic plan for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture outlines a plan to ensure the institute serves our state, nation, and world at the highest level possible. This strategic action plan strengthens UT’s alignment with Association of American Universities (AAU) priorities by expanding high-impact research, increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing the institute’s capacity for large-scale, externally funded projects. By investing in people, partnerships, and emerging areas of discovery, the plan contributes to the excellence in research, innovation, and graduate education that characterizes AAU institutions. UT AgResearch is committed to supporting these priorities.

Throughout 2025, a dedicated and engaged committee of faculty and staff representing academic departments, research centers, and educational units
worked collaboratively to build this five-year strategic action plan for 2025–2030, which will guide our efforts to advance the institute’s overarching goals of strengthening workforce development, enhancing nutrition and human health, promoting animal health and well-being, and safeguarding natural resources.The committee outlined four specific objectives that will drive UT AgResearch efforts:

1. Balance Portfolio: Increase impacts with tightly integrated, multidisciplinary research and development programs that contribute solutions to the complex challenges confronting society.
2. Cultivate Teams: Enhance the culture of team research that fosters collaboration and creative problem solving.
3. Ensure Research and Development Capacity: Strengthen our capability to address research problems with targeted investment in instrumentation, equipment, and scientists’ skills.
4. Advance Concepts: Introduce internal processes that encourage advancement of broad innovative research, and development themes with targeted support.

This plan charts a bold path that empowers discovery, advances innovation, and prepares people and communities to thrive well into the future.