How was the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center established?

How was the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center established?

The year 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the UC Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC). The SBC started as a California seed industry initiative with the first organizing committee meeting held at UC Davis in the summer of 1996.  Attending were leaders from California seed companies, the California Seed Association, California Crop Improvement Association and UC Davis.  The Center’s objectives would be to facilitate access to UC Davis researchers, to conduct research and education programs in partnership with the industry, and to be an independent, science-based voice for issues impacting the seed industry.  The vision was for the SBC to become the scientific research and outreach center for the California seed industry and beyond. The term “biotechnology” was interpreted very broadly at that time to encompass a wide array of biological technologies applicable to breeding, seed production and seed technology. While the term has since become associated primarily with genetic engineering, the SBC still considers that its name covers a broad range of research and production methods.

Support for the SBC was built through numerous industry meetings held around the state to promote awareness and later to raise operational and facility financing.  A number of supporters quickly volunteered to move the project forward.  With their support and the support of their companies, the California Seed Association, the California Seed Advisory Board and the Dean’s Office of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the SBC was formally established in 1999.