University College Dublin and University of California, Davis Strengthen Strategic Partnership

10.10.19

The University College Dublin (UCD) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have signed an agreement of co-operation. The agreement, to further develop education, research, innovation and cultural links between the both institutions, builds on a strategic partnership agreement signed in September 2014.

The signing took place at an international Food Innovation and Food Safety Workshop held at UC Davis.

Professor Dolores O’Riordan, VP for Global Engagement at University College Dublin said, “Researchers and academics at our institutions have been working together for some time, the recommitment of both institutions to our partnership shows the value of our existing relationship and the opportunities we see to expand this in the future. It is increasingly the case that universities are identifying a small network of global partners to work with to solve the significant challenges of our time. We are delighted to say that UC Davis is one of UCD’s closest and most trusted partners. This new agreement heralds a new stage of deeper cooperation between our two universities; a stage which promises to be exciting and exhilarating for all.”

“Agreements of this nature do not exist in isolation. They are part of the wider program of partnerships between the US and Europe including the EU-US Science Technology Agreement and the US-Ireland R&D Partnership which enable our countries to achieve more together.”

Paul Dodd, associate vice chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives at UC Davis said, “Faculty from UCD and UC Davis have collaborated over several decades in a number of educational and research topical areas. Over the past four years we have begun to build more structured interactions that create critical mass for collaborations in key research areas for both institutions including agriculture, food innovation, biological sciences and veterinary medicine. The partnership between ‘the two UCDs’ exemplifies the importance of international scientific collaboration and helps to further strengthen the strong bonds that exist between California and Ireland.”

The agreement builds on established links between both institutions, particularly in the areas of agriculture and food and one health, in which both lead internationally.

UC Davis is ranked number two in the world in Agriculture and Forestry and in Veterinary Medicine in the QS World University Rankings (2019). University College Dublin is the number one university globally on citations per paper in food science, based on Elsevier SciVal, 2014-2018 data among institutions publishing at scale (greater than 500 publications in the period). University College Dublin is 19th in the world for Agricultural Sciences according to the 2019 U.S. News university rankings.

Joanna Regulska, vice provost and associate chancellor of Global Affairs at UC Davis said, “Given the complexity of today’s challenges and opportunities, these mutually-beneficial partnerships are more important than ever as they build critical links for new initiatives in global education and research. We’ve been proud to partner with University College Dublin on successful student exchange opportunities and look forward to furthering our research collaborations in areas of shared expertise.”

Professor Orla Feely, Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, University College Dublin said, “Today’s agreement builds on strong collaborations between University College Dublin and UC Davis, in areas including agriculture and food and health – areas in which both institutions excel. The challenge of developing a global sustainable food system is one we all face and UCD and our partners at UC Davis want to be active leaders, along with our industry partners and policy-makers in delivering solutions to this challenge.”

For further information contact:

Micéal Whelan, University College Dublin, Communications Manager (Innovation), e: [email protected], t: + 353 1 716 3712.

AJ Cheline, University of California, Davis, Office of Research, [email protected], (530)219-8739.

University College Dublin

As Ireland’s largest university, University College Dublin plays a leading role in research which underpins this sector and has aligned its research strengths to national needs. Its recognition of the importance of the agriculture and food sector to Ireland is reflected by the designation of agri-food as one of the University’s key strategic research priority areas.

University College Dublin’s agriculture and food research organisation is unique in Ireland, in that it includes a dedicated School of Agriculture and Food Science, an Institute of Food and Health, and also a School of Veterinary Medicine, a veterinary hospital and a fully functional 580-acre University College Dublin Lyons Research Farm. www.ucd.ie

University of California, Davis

Founded in 1905, UC Davis is the most academically comprehensive university on the West Coast. The University is known for working across disciplines to solve the world’s most pressing problems and for its commitment to artistic and cultural expression. The 5,300-acre campus is in Davis, a vibrant college town and community of about 68,000. The state capital is nearby as are world-class destinations like the San Francisco Bay Area, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley.

The university’s four Colleges and six professional schools offer more than 100 undergraduate majors and 96 graduate programs. UC Davis graduates more California alumni than any other UC campus and contributes more than $8.1 billion each year to the state’s economy.