UC Davis is recognized internationally as a leader in agriculture, food science, nutrition, life sciences and health. The Foods for Health Institute (FFHI) is a comprehensive campus initiative that includes research, outreach and teaching programs in the arena of food and health. It utilizes UC Davis' interdisciplinary strengths, spanning from agricultural and food sciences to the clinical assessment of food components.

The core components of the FFHI include research and outreach in the arenas of: Quality of Life, Education and Policy, Food Engineering and Processing, and Medicinal Nutrition. The FFHI includes participating faculty and programs from the School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Engineering, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the College of Biological Science, the College of Letters and Science, the USDA Western Human Nutrition Center, and it interfaces actively with other related institutes on the Davis campus such as the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, the Nutritional Genomics Center and the Agriculture Sustainability Institute.

A primary goal of the FFHI is to inspire, nurture and sustain a vibrant industrial-academic community. Toward this end we have developed an interdisciplinary, cross-campus Industrial Affiliate Program. Our infrastructure is designed to foster and support the development of substantial, long-term research collaborations and partnerships with industry in the area of food and health. We have structured the program to maximize the growth of personal relationships between industry participants, and UC Davis affiliated faculty, staff scientists, post-doctoral and graduate students. We invite you to review our Industry Affiliate Program. We look forward to learning your thoughts on this endeavor, particularly on ways in which you think it can be improved. Our ultimate goal is to build a strong partnership with you.

Overview 

Successful, long-term, industry-university collaborations can greatly enhance the university's mission for education, research and outreach. The Foods for Health Institute's (FFHI) Industry Affiliate Program hopes to establish mutually beneficial relationships with industry partners who have an interest in:

• providing support for research and development work being undertaken at the FFHI
• contributing to the design of a program
• participating in broad based interactions with faculty, students and research staff

These types of industry-university partnerships provide the FFHI with:

• valuable funding to support the FFHI and address unmet needs in scientific research that may not be well supported by traditional funding agencies
• educational opportunities in the form of student internships, visiting lecturers, workshops or seminars
• the ability to create strong, industrially relevant research programs with high impact potential 

Goals

The goals of our Industrial Affiliate Program include:

• To enhance the exposure and interactions of our students with industry through the building of strong research relationships and social networking.
• To build industrially relevant, multidisciplinary research programs with high impact potential in the core research areas of the FFHI.
• To generate industrially relevant intellectual property in the core research areas of the FFHI.
• To facilitate information exchange with industry and contribute to the success of their research programs.
• To build, manage and sustain long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with industry. 

Factors to Consider

When considering membership in the FFHI Industry Affiliate Program, there are several factors to consider:

• First, many commonly shared research objectives between an industry and a university can be quickly and effectively addressed at an academic institute. The FFHI values and seeks industry advice for Research Consortia projects and allocates funding based on identified company interest.
• Second, all companies have ongoing needs for employees with excellent training in subjects specific to a company's field of interest. The graduate students supported at the FFHI are a valuable resource for meeting these needs.
• Second, all companies have ongoing needs for employees with excellent training in subjects specific to a company's field of interest. The graduate students supported at the FFHI are a valuable resource for meeting these needs. 

Program in Detail

The Industry Affiliate Program is designed to provide benefits to our members companies. In addition to the listed benefits, all member companies will have access to individualized assistance form the FFHI in: the identification of potential areas of collaboration; the building of teams of researchers and administrators to support projects and ensure their success; and the navigation of the policies at UC Davis regarding industry-university collaborations. There are currently four major opportunities for partnership with the Foods for Health Institute. They are described in detail below:

• Opportunity 1 - Corporate Affiliate Program
• Opportunity 2 - Research Consortia - Under Development
• Opportunity 3 - Tailored Research Projects
• Opportunity 4 - Innovation Accelerator - Under Development