AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts is launching a $120 million Future of Food initiative, anchored by a new 36,000-square-foot research center and five permanent endowments aimed at tackling global food security, climate resilience and food safety.
The research center, set to break ground in late 2027, will house the new Paul and Diane Manning Food Innovation Hub. The initiative’s five permanent endowments include a catalyst fund focused on research and innovation for the global food system.
The university announced the ambitious initiative on Monday, noting that one of its major goals is to help feed a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050 amid growing challenges from climate change, sustainability and food safety.
“UMass is committed to supporting cutting-edge research, providing hands-on student training and fostering external partnerships to drive transformative solutions that strengthen climate-resilient agriculture, expand food equity and production, and create a healthier, more sustainable future of food for all,” Chancellor Javier A. Reyes said in a statement.
The initiative is supported by both private and public money, with $30 million coming from Paul and Diane Manning through their family foundation, and another $30 million from the state. UMass will also put up $30 million, and another $30 million will be raised by the UMass Amherst Foundation.
The initiative brings together many programs at UMass, including food science and agriculture sciences, as well as engineering, public health, computer science, design and business, and even the UMass Dining program. The new building will feature a multidisciplinary collaborative research center attached to the existing Chenoweth Laboratory.
State Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who has championed legislation that supports local farmers, praised the Future of Food initiative in a statement.
“It leverages the university’s outstanding commitments to cutting-edge excellence and interdisciplinary research, teaching and learning to benefit scientific advancement, food security, public health, economic growth and the common good,” Comerford said. “And, it has the potential to be of significant benefit to the farmers, food producers and innovators in western and north central Massachusetts, lifting, expanding and energizing all sectors with every one of its leaps forward.”
In a phone interview, Comerford elaborated on this idea.
“We see it for what it is: a real opportunity for the region to build a center of excellence,” Comerford said, adding that the hope is the research can leap beyond the campus to benefit all of western Massachusetts.
Comerford said she has always focused on the needs of the more than 700 farms in her district, as the state rapidly loses farmland.
“This is another way to come into the sector; science can make farming a better bet,” Comerford said.
In addition, there could be an economic boon for “the 413,” she said, much as the Institute for Applied Life Sciences has been a location for tech start-ups and an incubator space, creating the magic where new ideas flourish. The Future of Food, she said, can do public health, nutrition and food science research to improve agricultural outcomes and confront food insecurity.
State Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, expressed appreciation that UMass will host the hub.
“I’m thrilled it will be based at the Amherst campus, where it will be rooted in the institution’s history and leadership in agricultural education and food science, while benefitting our region and beyond,” Domb said.
Inside the new building will be sensory testing labs, innovation kitchens, a food-grade pilot plant, a clinical testing lab, a food demonstration kitchen and what UMass calls research “collaboratories” that will enhance capabilities for research, innovation and product development, sustainable process development, food safety and sensory analysis, consumer feedback, food entrepreneur training and workshops.
The five permanent endowments, in addition to the catalyst fund, include a chair in Food Science, interdisciplinary professorships and three endowed faculty positions who will examine crucial questions about the future of the global food system.
Because Massachusetts represents about 45% of New England’s food system jobs and sales, the university anticipates playing a pivotal role in regional food security, workforce development and industry innovation. The food and agriculture sector has also been one of the only clusters in western Massachusetts with sustained growth over the past decade.
That jibes with a recent report by the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, which identified “food science, non-pharmaceutical biomanufacturing and the food ecosystem” as a top economic development opportunity for the region and the state.
The hope is the initiative can attract and grow new business, form a foundation for the local food industry and local farmers, expand the pipeline of trained talent for the food industry and support other industries such as renewable energy, animal feed and biomanufacturing that are related to farms.
Gov. Maura Healey said by bringing together researchers and partners across disciplines, the Future of Food initiative will tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the food system, create new opportunities in Massachusetts and help build a safer, healthier and more sustainable future.
The gift from Paul Manning, chairman and chief executive officer of PBM Capital, and his wife Diane, is the second largest in the history of the flagship.
“Diane and I have always believed in investing in people and ideas that have the potential to make a real difference,” Manning said. “Food touches everyone, and there are enormous opportunities to improve how we produce it, make it safer and healthier, and better understand the connection between food and human health. UMass has the talent and expertise to tackle these challenges and, more importantly, turn great ideas into solutions that can have real impact. We’re excited to help give them the resources to think big, move faster and make a difference.”
“Food and agriculture are one of the commonwealth’s greatest opportunities, and this initiative will enable UMass to lead on its behalf with talented graduates, groundbreaking research, and significant commercialization,” said Stephen Karam, who chairs the UMass Board of Trustees.
UMass President Marty Meehan noted that there is no university better positioned to lead this initiative than UMass Amherst, which is top ranked in the nation for agricultural and food science, and top 10 in the world.
The Center for the Future of Food, the organizational principle for the initiative, will respond to major shifts in the food ecosystem with significant societal and economic relevance including climate pressures, AI- and robotics-enabled production, precision/ personalized nutrition and increased demand for food‑as‑medicine solutions.
“Food affects every aspect of our lives, from health and wellness to economic development and environmental sustainability,” said Peter Reinhart, interim director of the Center for the Future of Food and director of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences “Through this historic investment, UMass Amherst is creating a national model for interdisciplinary collaboration that will drive innovation across the entire food ecosystem. Our goal is not only to generate new knowledge, but to transform that knowledge into technologies, products and practices that improve lives and strengthen food systems around the world.”
In addition to the campus being situated near farms and having some farms provide produce and milk to the dining commons, an outgrowth of its founding as Massachusetts Agricultural College more than 160 years ago, the campus also includes the Cranberry Station in East Wareham and the Gloucester Marine Station.
