GLOBAL HEMP INNOVATION CENTER
Harnessing the Future of Hemp
OSU’s Global Hemp Innovation Center (GHIC) is home to world-leading experts in hemp research, extension, and education and is the most comprehensive of its kind in the nation. GHIC is advancing hemp and its market potential fostering innovation across all segments of the hemp supply chain, leveraging the expertise of faculty from diverse disciplines who partner with federal and state agencies and industry sectors to help solve challenges in meeting the growing demand for food, fiber, chemicals, and other products made from hemp.
Prime Location
Oregon’s location on the 45th parallel is optimal for hemp growth. In fact, a unique hemp germplasm – the material used for breeding – was developed in the state over the past several decades. Oregon authorized hemp cultivation in 2009, but the Oregon Department of Agriculture didn’t license its first hemp grower until 2015. Just three years later, Oregon ranked 3rd in the United States in licensed hemp acres planted behind Montana and Colorado.
As the home to more than 220 agricultural commodities, Oregon farmers and producers have the diversity of innovation expertise to successfully navigate the future development of hemp. In fact, The state legislature sponsored a bill (HB 2740) that formed a commission similar to the existing 23 commodity commissions in the state, to direct funding for hemp research.
Leading Expertise
With the launch of the Global Hemp Innovation Center, OSU restores its original position as the nation’s premier hemp research institution. OSU was the site of the country's only hemp research center from the 1880s to the 1930s. We are the most comprehensive hemp research center in the nation with 65 faculty across 19 disciplines conducting research in 10 locations across the state and four locations around the world in Asia and Europe. As the only hemp seed certifier in the state, and one of only four in the country, OSU is able to provide growers access to a source of certified seed for planting in the state.
Global Reach
OSU’s Hemp research spans the globe with partners in Europe and Asia. We’ve strategically cultivated these partnerships over the past several years in areas that are at the same latitude as Oregon with similar growing conditions and complementary research areas. Our leadership in hemp was recognized by the National Academies of Sciences which tapped OSU to host the first international hemp symposium as part of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources's 75th Anniversary celebration.
Comprehensive Research
OSU’s hemp research includes the most diverse and comprehensive team of collaborative leaders in critical disciplines that touch hemp, with more than 65 faculty representing more than 19 disciplinary areas across the entire university invested in understanding hemp. Serving as a hub, the Global Hemp Innovation Center at OSU connects plant research, food innovation, pharmacy, public health, public policy, business, and engineering.
In The News
Many growers assumed that producing high flower yields for cannabinoid extraction required heavy irrigation, in part because hemp plants can grow large and have a “lush” appearance, and because early production models borrowed from gre...
Events
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2026 |
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| Feb 19 | Hemp Food and Beverage Workshop | Portland, OR |
| Oct 19-21 | Cannabis Research Conference | San Diego, CA |