The University of Nebraska has announced that Neogen Corporation has been named Commercialization Partner of the Year.

In presenting the award, NUtech Ventures, the university’s commercialization arm, cited Neogen’s 18-year partnership with the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program to develop and market rapid food allergen tests that the food industry uses to protect its food allergic consumers. NUtech also cited Neogen’s Lincoln, NE-based GeneSeek animal genomics laboratory, which was founded in collaboration with the university.

“Our partnership with the University of Nebraska in the field of animal genomics is newer, but has been equally successful, and carries a tremendous potential going forward,” says James Herbert, Neogen’s chief executive officer and chairman. “Our animal genomics business is now five times what it was at the time of our 2010 acquisition of GeneSeek. Our location in Lincoln is now the largest animal genomics laboratory in the world, and its success has allowed us to build a second GeneSeek laboratory in Scotland to serve our European customers, and to acquire a genomics business in Brazil — creating a third laboratory in that critically important country for livestock production.”

NUtech’s mission is to facilitate the commercialization and practical use of innovations generated through the research activities at the University of Nebraska.