Written by: Hannah LaCava, CALS Research Intern
At a university where research and partnerships are valued, a master research agreement can mean the difference between weeks of negotiating and starting a project almost right away. A master research agreement is a written document establishing and governing the rules for a mutually beneficial partnership, shortening the agreement process—all contract negotiations are already taken care of.
This past summer, NC State signed a master research agreement with Premex, adding another company to a list of trusted partners.
About Premex
Premex is a Colombian-based animal feed and nutrition company with a focus on producing “more protein, better quality, (at a) lower cost.” Seeking a U.S. base of operations, Premex leaders looked for a partnership with individuals who shared their values of both animal nutrition and employee education—a university partner was a must. As one of the nation’s top agricultural schools, NC State was the perfect fit.
The Partnership
After spending two years building the partnership, NC State and Premex signed the agreement on July 28. According to Dr. Deborah Thompson, director of research partnerships within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the time spent building trust between the industry and institution was key.
“What really worked for this partnership was the slowly built relationship,” Thompson said. “Only after the hard work of relationship building do we now have a master research agreement and the foundation to take that partnership to the next level.”
Thompson hopes the agreement will encourage research projects formed between NC State and other agriculture industries in a way similar to previous agreements. One example of a current agreement includes NC State and PepsiCo. Over the past four years, NC State and PepsiCo have partnered through a master research agreement signed in 2014. Eleven new projects have been awarded for a total of $2,841,630 and, among others, include research focusing on sweetpotatoes, cross-pollination methods and stevia.
This past April, NC State entered into a master technology evaluation agreement with Dow AgroSciences and has already started four different testing projects, three of which will be completed this year. Both the PepsiCo and Dow AgroSciences master research agreements increased the speed of progress, removing red tape for scientists on both sides, Thompson said.
The most recent agreement with Premex gives yet another opportunity for additional testing projects and collaborations. Faculty interested in learning more about Premex can find further information on the company website, and faculty with questions regarding how get involved with Premex research efforts should contact Dr. Deborah Thompson, director of research partnerships at dmt@ncsu.edu.