Reason Established: An organizational part of Texas A&M University, AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension. The IRNR was originally established by the Texas A&M Board of Regents in 1978, as a component of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. In January 2006, the mission of the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources was re-defined for meeting the growing needs of inter-disciplinary research and extension in natural resources. Along with this change came the establishment of separate directorship, staff, and facilities. The Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources is a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) and Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE). The Institute’s purpose is to foster research and extension programs focused on natural resource science and management. The goal of the IRNR is to promote, coordinate, and implement inter-disciplinary programs and activities to meet natural resource needs in Texas and elsewhere. The IRNR also serves faculty of the Texas A&M University System by coordinating inter-disciplinary projects, developing proposals, providing technical support, and providing increased access to new sources of extramural funding. Contact: Neal Wilkins; 862-3199; irnr@tamu.edu; 2260 TAMU; <>