Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, Linda P.B. Katehi, chancellor of the University of California, Davis, and U.S. Ambassador Michael A. Hammer today (April 21) opened the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis-Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center in Santiago, Chile. With a projected budget of $12 million over its first three years, the center will foster collaborative work among experts from 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and Chile aimed at transforming public-sector research into regional, national and global business opportunities.
The center is funded through a grant from the Corporaci贸n de Fomento de la Producci贸n de Chile, or CORFO, the country鈥檚 economic development agency, and industry and university partner cost-sharing. Research would take place at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and partner institutions. The center is led by founding Executive Director Alan B. Bennett, distinguished professor of plant sciences at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.
The center鈥檚 long-term goal is to support research, development and economic competitiveness in Chile and California with a focus on the agricultural industry, including plant breeding, postharvest and climate-change technologies.
Agriculture is the second largest industry for Chile. California is the world鈥檚 fifth largest supplier of food and agricultural commodities, and 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis consistently achieves top ranking for its agricultural programs.
鈥溞掳拿帕喜誓谀恍畔 Davis has had a long history of collaboration with Chile, and the Life Sciences Innovation Center now adds to that legacy,鈥 said Katehi. 鈥淲e look forward to the tremendous discoveries and economic opportunity that will be the hallmark of this new center.鈥
The new partnership would accelerate the transfer of discoveries into commercial products, create new opportunities in the global economy and strengthen a relationship between Chile and California that began in 1963. The two partners share a Mediterranean climate conducive to producing similar food crops, but have alternate growing seasons, allowing for a vibrant international trade in fresh fruits and vegetables.
A group of more than 50 Chileans who studied agricultural sciences at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis during the 1960s and 1970s are widely credited with helping to transform Chile into one of the world's leading fresh-fruit exporters.
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 and the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis campus have continued to launch collaborative research projects with Chile in such areas as seed biotechnology, grape growing and wine making, and water management. President Bachelet visited the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis campus in 2008.
The new center would work with participating universities, research institutions and industry to identify opportunities and set priorities for research and development activities that address industry needs. Working with its local partner will allow the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis center to provide short and long-term solutions to industry and facilitate innovation.
新澳门六合彩内幕信息's Global Food Initiative
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis is participating in launched by 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 President Janet Napolitano, harnessing the collective power of 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 to help feed the world and steer it on the path to sustainability.
Media Resources
Andy Fell, Research news (emphasis: biological and physical sciences, and engineering), 530-752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu
Alan Bennett, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis-Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center, (530) 752-1411, abbennett@ucdavis.edu
Francisco Diaz, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis-Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center, pascual.diaz@gmail.com