Initial focus will be on food security, human and animal health, biodiversity and environmental health.

BGI (formerly the Beijing Genomics Institute) will bring some of its DNA sequencing instruments and bioinformatics specialists to the University of California, Davis under a research and training partnership designed to allow the school’s faculty and students to tap into the Chinese institute’s sequencing and informatics capabilities.

The BGI@UC Davis Partnership will focus initially on food security, human and animal health and wellness, as well as biodiversity and environmental health. These are areas of expertise for UC Davis, which BGI researchers hope to access. Representatives of both institutions say that an agreement spelling out partnership details will be worked out in coming months.

“It’s necessary to build a new creative model for multiple-skilled talents in genomics for the future,” states BGI director Jian Wang.  “In the past several years, BGI has invented a new model to train excellent professionals that is efficient both at up-to-date scientific knowledge and practical skills in life sciences.”

Wang and UC Davis chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi signed a formal agreement establishing the BGI@UC Davis Partnership during a meeting in BGI’s home base of Shenzhen, one of China’s so-called special economic zones.

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