Texas Tech University has secured a $28.9 million grant from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to build a food science and safety research complex at its Lubbock campus.

The award, made through USDA's Research Facilities Act Program, will fund the Food Science, Safety, and Workforce Development Complex inside the planned Davis College Flagship Building — a three-story structure on 15th Street that will replace the existing Davis College Annex and the former Fisheries and Wildlife Research Building.

The Research Facilities Act Program finances construction and modernization of agricultural research facilities at universities. For Texas Tech, the federal money pairs with private donations raised through ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University.

What will the complex contain?

The facility consolidates functions that currently sit apart:

• Food innovation and sensory evaluation laboratories
• Pilot-processing facilities
• Product development and quality testing space
• Consumer evaluation capabilities
• Workforce training programs
• Collaborative spaces for industry partners

Texas Tech officials said the project expands the college's research capacity while giving students and industry professionals access to commercial-scale food processing technology. The design includes flexible research spaces that can adapt to shifts in technology and industry demands without major renovations.

Training will run from professional certificates and continuing education to microcredentials and applied programs for students, industry professionals and entrepreneurs.

Who is driving the project?

Darren Hudson, associate dean for strategic initiatives and assessment and holder of the Larry Combest Endowed Chair for Agricultural Competitiveness, led the grant proposal. He will serve as project director and primary liaison with USDA.

Hudson framed the complex as a value-add play for regional agriculture. The facility "allows us to directly impact our regional stakeholders through increased product development and value that support our farm and ranch profitability," he said.

That language points to the Plains' grower economics: product development capacity and consumer testing at a land-grant institution can shorten the distance between regional raw commodities and higher-margin processed goods.

Davis College Dean Clint Krehbiel said the college has simply run out of room. "Our continued growth as a founding college is a testament to the role we play in our university's mission and underscores the reality that we have outgrown our current infrastructure," Krehbiel said.

Why USDA funded it

The enrollment data backs Krehbiel's case. Davis College enrollment climbed from roughly 2,800 students in fall 2020 to nearly 3,300 in fall 2025, and university officials say renovations over the years have not kept pace.

Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec tied the award to the university's founding mission. "Agriculture has been central to Texas Tech's mission since the university was founded, and it remains essential to our future," Schovanec said. "We are grateful to USDA for recognizing the significance of the work done by Davis College and the role Texas Tech can play in advancing food security and agricultural innovation."

Beyond the food science complex, the Flagship Building will house a Student Success Center, classrooms, research and teaching laboratories, the Raider Red Meats Café, administrative offices and collaboration space for faculty, staff and students.

Groundbreaking is anticipated during the 2026-27 academic year, with Hudson overseeing delivery as USDA's primary point of contact for the project.