Centers & Institutes

Advanced Plant Technology
APT focuses on translational, problem-solving science to advance crop agriculture in South Carolina. Our members include over 20 world-class researchers, stationed throughout the state, who represent basic and applied sciences. Our current crops of interest are corn, cotton, peaches, peanuts, sorghum, soybean, and wheat. We also study crop pests, plant diseases, invasive weeds, and best-management practices for cultivation.

Animal Co-Products Research & Education Center
ACREC seeks to advance the science and technology of animal co-products and the rendering process.  In addition, the Center works to ensure microbial safety of rendered products for animal feeds and consumer protection, promotes environmentally sound practices, develops new market opportunities for the worldwide rendering industry and provides educational opportunities in animal co-product utilization.

Clemson Agronomic Crop Variety Trials
This crop performance data provides information to growers, extension personnel, seed producers, seed dealers and agricultural workers and agencies in South Carolina and the world. These results should help growers select the most profitable cultivars for individual farm conditions and management programs.

Clemson University Center for Agricultural Technology (CU-CAT)
Clemson University and College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences hub for agriculture technology development, testing, training, and collaboration.

CEFPACK
The Clemson University Center for Flexible Packaging (CEFPACK) is a membership organization which offers testing and development services related to flexible packaging for industry consumer product companies and packaging suppliers, and also provides a wonderful educational environment for Clemson students.

Fisheries and Aquatic Center of Excellence
South Carolina’s natural resources are a major contributor to the quality of life and economy of the state. However, the sustainability of South Carolina’s 11,000 miles of rivers and streams, more than 1,600 lakes and reservoirs, and 2,876 miles of coastal shoreline and the economic, ecological, and social values they provide, is dependent upon both science-based information and educated and trained professionals that guide management and conservation of our aquatic and fisheries resources. To support science-based management and the training of the next generation of fisheries professionals, the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation (FEC) proposes establishing a Fisheries and Aquatic Center of Excellence (FACE) at Clemson University. FACE will be a new, collaborative initiative between Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and our partners in the outdoor recreation industry. Funds provided by the endowed program will go directly towards four main areas of emphasis.

Home & Garden Information Center
The Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC) provides research-based information on landscaping, gardening, plant health, household pests, food safety & preservation, and nutrition, physical activity & health. 

Hunnicutt Creek
Hunnicutt Creek runs through Clemson University’s campus and the South Carolina Botanical Garden, draining water to the old Seneca River Bed, now known as the “bottoms.” This low lying area on the eastern edge of Clemson’s campus, since the construction of Lake Hartwell, is now the location of the Corps of Engineers pump station, which sends Hunnicutt’s water up over the dike and into the lake. The Army Corps of Engineer’s control over the bottom of Hunnicutt Creek makes the watershed an unusual system.

James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center
Kennedy Center faculty, staff and students conduct teaching, research and outreach in waterfowl and wetlands ecology. The Kennedy Center’s location at Clemson’s Belle W. Baruch Institute for Coastal Ecology and Forest Science in Georgetown, South Carolina is one of the most ecologically vital wetland ecosystem along the Atlantic Flyway. 

Margaret H. Lloyd SmartState Project
The late Margaret “Peggy” Lloyd, a renowned and beloved philanthropist with a passion for science who spent a large portion of her life in Camden, gifted Clemson University with this sizable, picturesque stretch of forested property in the hopes that it would be harvested not for its wood but for its ethereal beauty and educational potential. Now, a group of committed representatives from Clemson University and other closely-aligned affiliates are utilizing Mrs. Lloyd’s hope as a primary motivating factor as they glean all that Margaret’s gift has to offer. From forestry to social science to education, the team led by Margaret H. Lloyd-SmartState Endowment Professor Rob Baldwin is taking advantage of the abundance of opportunities presented by Hardscramble, and, in the process, they are quickly making Margaret’s dream a reality.

Research and Education Centers
Research is conducted in laboratories, farms, and forests on the Clemson campus and at five research and education centers strategically located in the state's distinct soil and climate regions.

Sustainable Agriculture, Organic Farm
The Student Organic Farm (SOF), a fully operational 6-acre demonstration farm located on the Clemson University campus, was established in 2001 as a project under the Sustainable Agriculture Program and serves as a resource for training and education in sustainable and organic agriculture. The farm was certified organic in 2005 and follows the National Organic Program rules which prohibit the application of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and also has achieved USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) certification governing food safety in the production and handling of produce.

Sustainable Landscape Demonstration
The Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden, located in the McGinty Mall or Agriculture Quad, is the result of a campus-wide collaborative effort that brought together multiple departments within the School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences (SAFES), university landscape services, campus planning, extension, and the SC Botanical Garden. This project was funded by a one-time grant from Public Service and is an example of the creativity and teamwork happening in CAFLS and across campus.

Water Resource Center
Clemson University's South Carolina Water Resources Center serves as a liaison between the U.S. Geological Survey, the university community and the water resources constituencies across South Carolina. It is one of 54 institutes working collectively through the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). The Center serves as a research facilitator and acts as a conduit for information necessary in the resource management decision-making and policy arenas of the state.

Clemson University’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute (WU+D)
Clemson University’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute (WU+D) is a multidisciplinary engine of innovation where foresters, architects, engineers, constructors and building industry stakeholders coalesce to design advancements in wood-based construction materials to compete with steel, concrete and other materials currently used in nonresidential construction.