Welcome to the SBC

The mission of the Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC) is to mobilize the research, educational and outreach resources of UC Davis in partnership with the Seed and Biotechnology Industries to facilitate discovery and commercialization of new seed technologies for agricultural and consumer benefit.

Featured Courses

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Seed Biology, Quality & Pathology
Sept 16-18, 2026 at UC Davis
Registration Now Open

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Leadership Program for Plant Breeders & Scientists
Nov 17-19, 2026 at UC Davis
Registration Now Open

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Seed Business 101: Vegetables
Nov 30 - Dec 4, 2026 at UC Davis
Registration Now Open

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Seed Production
February 22-25, 2027 at UC Davis
Registration Now Open

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European PBA Class IX
Class Begins March 2027
Application Now Open!

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News and Updates

Dr. Jovan Djordjevic joins the SBC as executive director

We are excited to welcome Dr. Jovan Djordjevic to our team as SBC’s executive director! Jovan has spent over 25 cumulative years with Monsanto, Limagrain and BASF Vegetable Seeds, where he most recently directed research and breeding teams and developed crop strategy (vegetable seeds) as BASF Vegetable’s Global R&D Team Lead for breeding. An accomplished and experienced plant breeder, he brings a broad-based expertise in plant breeding research and development.

Rale Gjuric, former SBC education director, discusses the many uses of Hemp, with Marcel Bruins (European Seed)

Industrial hemp has many uses, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, and fuel. With the increased focus on breeding for industrial hemp and cannabis, European Seed spoke with Rale (Radiša) Gjuric, Director of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy, to get his take on the ins and outs of this new course and the risen interest in the crop.
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