The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) focuses its mission on funding a broad spectrum of research projects that address critical issues and opportunities within the horticultural industry. With a legacy dating back to 1962, HRI aims to direct industry funds toward studies that enhance production, environmental sustainability, and business practices in the horticulture trade. The institute seeks to advance the nursery, greenhouse, retail, and landscape segments through scientific research and innovation.
The Strategic Grantmaking program by the Horticultural Research Institute is designed to support research specifically tailored to green industry-related problems, regulatory challenges, and new opportunities. The program emphasizes projects that aim for substantial impacts within the nursery, greenhouse, retail, and landscape sectors, focusing on various aspects from propagation and production to distribution, marketing, and sales of plant material. The grant program prioritizes research that quantifies plant benefits, gathers consumer insights, creates innovative solutions, and produces practical and actionable results. HRI's strategic grantmaking is committed to funding research that offers clearly defined outcomes, generates beneficial advice for businesses, and provides a tangible return on investment for the green industry.