Although the university's senate approved draft proposals for Warwick HRI Wellesbourne to be absorbed into a new School of Life Sciences last year, a new paper exploring an industry partnership will be presented at the meeting on 2 March.

The business plan is being finalised by a group of scientists at Warwick HRI in collaboration with Brian Jamieson, author of A Review of the Provision of Horticultural R&D.

However, it is expected to contain ideas for how Warwick HRI might continue as an industry centre linked to the new School of Life Sciences.

The university, which has stated that it cannot continue to meet the deficit of running Wellesbourne, will explore possible solutions centred around industry partnership.

It is already in talks with the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) over future funding streams for the site. But these discussions will "go on for months, if not years", according to a university representative.

AHDB chief scientist Ian Crute will chair next week's meeting. Crute told HW he "imagined the options are fairly straightforward". He explained that the options are to "move to straight closure, develop something with an applied focus or seek an alliance with other organisations".

Following this first discussion, a further meeting will take place in May to extend the talks to more specialised stakeholder groups.

HDC chairman Neil Bragg added: "Industry partnership is a good idea but the trouble is finding the partners who will be able to put in the money."

HTA director-general David Gwyther said: "The industry has had a partnership with Wellesbourne in the past through levy funding and we need to find a way of cranking that up."

NFU chief horticultural adviser Phil Hudson said he was "keen to hear whether there are any viable alternatives".