The Seed Science Center may be one step closer to leading its field.

An anonymous gift of $5 million for the Seed Science Center was announced during the 22nd Annual Seed Technology Conference.

ISU President Martin Jischke said Tuesday at the conference that the donation is designed to help improve the programs at the Seed Science Center, one of the eight centers of Iowa State’s Plant Sciences Institute.

“The gift will further our vision for ISU’s Seed Science Center to be the global center of excellence in seed science, seed technology and seed systems,” Jischke said. “Our vision goes hand in hand with Iowa’s aspiration to become the food capital of the world. It is a very exciting development and a very generous gift. We are very pleased.”

The donation will help Iowa State move into a new level of distinction, said Colin Scanes, interim director of the Plant Sciences Institute.

“We wanted to move to being the seed science center of excellency globally,” he said. The donation will help in meeting that goal, Scanes said.

The university established its roots in seed technology in the 19th century.

“Iowa State has been doing seed testing and seed research for over a hundred years,” said Manjit Misra, director of the Seed Science Center.

The center was formally established in 1987 to develop research further in the areas of technology, to use third-party testing, to incorporate seed science in undergraduate courses and to transfer information to the worldwide industry.

The contribution will be used to set up three different programs, Misra said.

“We are going to be using the funds partly for the endowed chair, a visiting scientist program and a molecular quality-assurance program so that producers know exactly what is in their seeds the genes and traits they’re looking for,” Scanes said.

Misra said the endowed chair should be working on a timely issue within the seed-science field or on an issue that has an impact on the industry.

“For the endowed chair position, we envision this person to be a world-renowned seed scientist or a leader in the industry,” he said.

The center also has goals to conduct research and to have guest lecturers talk to students, industry officials and the public, Misra said.

The new molecular seed quality-assurance program will “develop standards for testing seeds at DNA level,” he said. “We can facilitate the worldwide export of seed.”

This contribution also will benefit the state of Iowa, Misra said.

“Iowa is where a lot of seeds are produced, and it will help our economy in a major way,” he said. “I see it establishing ISU leadership worldwide.”