Botanical Research Institute of Texas

History and Mission

Founded in 1987 and based in Fort Worth, BRIT documents the diversity of plant life and conducts extensive research around the world. In the last 10 years, BRIT scientists have located and described scores of species previously unknown to science. Similar to the botanist-explorers of the 18th century, BRIT scientists share the same desires and traits as Sir Joseph Banks, Captain James Cook, and Charles Darwin.

BRIT staff are adventurous, curious, passionate, independent, and smart. In addition, we are teachers. We are driven to find new plant species and research plant life for agricultural, economic, environmental, medical, and social uses and to share that knowledge in the classroom and the research laboratory.Current major projects are ongoing in Texas, Europe, and the Pacific Islands.

Significance

BRIT supports botanical solutions to address globally challenging problems ranging from pollution clean-up to sustainable food sources. By serving as a think tank and catalyst, BRIT inspires learning and forms interdisciplinary collaborations for critical research within scientific, educational, social, cultural, and business communities.

Our work impacts our community and the world in many functional areas including environment, by giving people a local sense of stewardship; medicinal plant efficacy, by contributing with colleagues to an appreciation of the nutritional and medicinal use of plants; society, by training a new generation of thinkers and problem solvers; and in agriculture, by working with our collaborating institutions to create a better understanding of sustainable agricultural practices and preserving plant diversity.