PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The University of Pikeville has received a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration to support the construction of an agtech research and education center.  

“The UPIKE AgTech Innovation Center of Excellence puts Pikeville on the high-tech agriculture map and will enable us to grow with this innovative industry,” said Burton Webb, University of Pikeville president.

Webb said the major goal of the AgTech center would be research, education, and a demonstration center for new and emerging indoor farming technology.

The project aims to promote job growth by bringing innovative industry to the area, while enhancing educational opportunities for University of Pikeville students. The grant will be matched with $5.75 million in local funds.

David Hutchens, University of Pikeville vice president of advancement and alumni relations, said the university is “honored to have been selected to receive this competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.”

“Completion of the UPIKE AgTech Center of Excellence will be a catalyst in promoting growth for a new industry in the region that is beyond our imagination,” he said. 

“This endeavor will attract new partners to the area with an end result of much-needed job creation. We are excited to be at the forefront of such an exciting opportunity for the region.”

For the last several years the University of Pikeville has been working with a large greenhouse grower called AppHarvest. As part of that work, Webb said he and several members of his leadership team have traveled to the Netherlands to investigate their approach to food production.

“In our conversations with both AppHarvest Leadership and the government of the Netherlands, we have determined that one way to foster research and encourage more young people to pursue careers in agriculture would be to create a place where they can learn about the techniques of high-tech indoor farming here in eastern Kentucky,” he said.

“The visit, conversations, and about two years of planning resulted in the grant, which will fund the majority of the AgTech Center,” he added.

The facility will include a greenhouse, classroom space, laboratory and offices.

So far, Webb said no staff have not been hired: “We will work with our partners at AppHarvest and Wageningen in the Netherlands, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky to find and hire the right staff members. We will continue to work closely with our partners in both the public and private sectors.”

He added, “Interestingly, in the Netherlands, there are several of these research centers spread across the country. There, they are called Greenports. All of the support businesses for the AgTech sector tend to cluster around these greenports to facilitate research and information sharing.

“It is our plan to replicate that kind of complex ecosystem here in Kentucky,” he said. “If we do it well, there will be significant economic development that results.”

“We are waiting on the results of two additional grants that will finalize the funding package, and we will likely need to raise some additional funding,” Webb said. “Given the lead time for construction of facilities like this, we anticipate opening in the fall of 2024.”