The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis Missouri, USA is the product of a unique and innovative partnership formed from the joint efforts of the Danforth Foundation, the State of Missouri, and six partners in the Midwestern United States. Founded in 1998, this independent, not-for-profit research institute has a global vision to improve the human condition through research in plants to improve nutritional content and increase agricultural production, and to provide the scientific ideas and technologies that will contribute to economic growth. The Danforth Center is considered as a resource for all who are devoted to discovery and all who are committed to making available the critically needed knowledge of plant science for sustainability.

The Danforth Center's Mission is to:

• increase understanding of basic plant biology
• apply new knowledge to help sustain productivity in agriculture, forestry, and allied fields
• facilitate the rapid development and commercialization of promising technologies and products
• contribute to the education and training of graduate and postdoctoral students, scientists, and technicians from around the world

Research at the Center is organized around four research focus areas to efficiently deliver plant science solutions to meet the global needs of agriculture and human health and nutrition. The research focus areas include developing new materials and products in plants, adapting plants for environmental stresses, enriching the nutritional value of foods, and controlling plant pests and pathogens.

A distinguishing feature of the Center is the commitment to translational research with colleagues from developing countries, targeting projects that lead to products designed for use in less developed countries. 

The Danforth Center's founding partners are all recognized leaders in the plant sciences and include: the Missouri Botanical Garden, Purdue University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Washington University in St. Louis, and the St. Louis-based Monsanto Company.

http://www.danforthcenter.org 

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