Research & Innovation

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.

Professor Dolores O’Riordan, Vice-President for Global Engagement, UCD, said: “Researchers and academics at our institutions have been working together for some time and 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 programme 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.”

Pictured (L-R): Associate Professor Trudee Fair; Associate Professor Siobhan McClean; Professor Orla Feely, VPRII UCD Research & Innovation; and Dr Fionnuala Murphy.

Dr Joanna Regulska, Vice-Provost and Associate Chancellor of Global Affairs, 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.”

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). UCD 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). UCD is 19th in the world for Agricultural Sciences according to the 2019 U.S. News university rankings.

Professor Orla Feely, Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, UCD, said: “The agreement builds on strong collaborations between UCD 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.”

Dr Paul Dodd, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives, 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.”