University of California Davis is a comprehensive campus of the University of California, a leader in interdisciplinary study with more that 100 academic majors and 86 graduate programs. UCD leads The United States in graduate and undergraduate education in biological sciences and is ranked 7th in national research funding among USA public universities. It is a leader in energy research with more than 100 faculty engaged in research areas such as agriculture, renewable energy, biofuels, among others. Since 2012, UCD is ranked 1st among universities in the education and research of Agricultural and Forestry (QS World University Rankings).
Chile and California both have exceptional universities and government research organizations; their fundamental differences lie in how the university and public sector contribute to stimulate their respective agricultural economies. UC Davis has worked over 100 years to develop agricultural innovations and new plant varieties which have improved economic vitality in California, the United States and the rest of the world.
The success of UC Davis is, in part, due to the ability to maintain its position as a premier international research university; and develop a robust technology transfer and innovation program (InnovationAccess). In contrast, Chile’s contribution to these industries has primarily been in the counter-seasonal production services and the exportation of fruits and seeds to overseas markets, including California, the rest of the USA, Europe, Asia and other countries. The majority of varieties and technologies utilized in Chile have been developed in other countries instead of in Chile itself.