Originally published 18 March 2004

Lord Whitty and Professor David VandeLinde are visiting the Wellesbourne site of Warwick HRI on Friday 19 March to sign the formal Change of Control document.

The document confirms that as of 1 April 2004 Warwick HRI will be part of the University. Warwick HRI will be a department in the Faculty of Science and will play its full part in the governance of the University.

University negotiations with Defra and BBSRC (The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) have provided core grants for the department. This ensures that Warwick HRI will start University life from a sound financial position. The department will be entered into the next Research Assessment Exercise in 2008.

Warwick's vision for Warwick HRI remains unchanged, the University is investing in Warwick HRI to ensure that we:

• promote research in horticultural science in the UK
• enable a wide range of collaborations between scientific disciplines
• foster a culture of enterprise that serves the international horticulture industry
• broaden the research and business income generated by Warwick HRI
• provide constitutional and financial stability for Warwick HRI