The Horticulture Competence Centre (KoGa) was founded in 2002. At Bonn University’s research station Campus Klein Altendorf it brings together the potential of research, experimentation and extension. KoGa’s partners are the University of Bonn, the Service Centre for Rural Areas Rheinpfalz, Jülich Research Centre and the Chamber of Agriculture North Rhine-Westphalia.

The long-term goal of KoGa is to secure and support the performance and competitive capability of research, training and education in the field of horticulture, as well as the development, optimization and provision of new technologies and processes for horticultural practitioners. KoGa thus serves as integrated platform for inter- and transdisciplinary activities and opens up the potential of the resources for horticultural research and knowledge transfer that are provided by its partners.

The cooperation of the four partners brings advantages in terms of better information exchange amongst the partners and institutions. More importantly, it allows for more efficient coordination and implementation of research projects and collaborations and increases the speed with which research results are transferred from basic sciences via tests under farm-conditions to extension and horticultural practice. And vice versa, we can address new and pressing problems of the horticultural practice broadly, thoroughly and efficiently.

Further, KoGa has the following tasks and goals:

• Identification of priority horticultural research questions and providing support in recruiting interdisciplinary working groups to carry out research.
• Acquisition of financial resources for joint research projects.
• Optimization of production and post-harvest processes and the development of new insights for the horticultural practice.
• Education, training and learning functions.
• Enrichment of under- and post-graduate training by facilitating the interaction with interdisciplinary research and project  groups.
• Supporting the communication of  ongoing horticultural research activities and public relations.
• Facilitation of a rapid transfer of research results to focus groups and institutions

The strategic direction of the cooperation, planning of joint research and development activities, application for research projects and fund raising is the task of the Steering Committee which is supported by the KoGa Coordinator. The Advisory Board supports and guides the KoGa partners.