University of California, Davis
June 12, 2008
Building on a long and productive
relationship between Chile and California, Chilean president
Michelle Bachelet today presided over the signing of two
landmark agreements with
UC Davis,
focused on strengthening research and teaching collaborations in
the areas of grape growing and winemaking, and crop genetics and
breeding.
A broad memorandum of understanding, intended to strengthen
future cooperation between California and Chile, was also
signed. That agreement will create new, collaborative
educational opportunities and develop a partnership focused on
ecosystem conservation and water management.
"It is particularly appropriate that President Bachelet joins us
for the official signing of several agreements and
understandings that build on a 40-year foundation of academic,
business, and governmental collaborations between the people of
California and the people of Chile," said UC Davis Chancellor
Larry Vanderhoef during the signing ceremony held in UC Davis'
Freeborn Hall.
"I am deeply honored that President Bachelet's vision to build
the future of Chile on strategic partnerships in research,
development of human capital, and public/private partnerships
will expand those historic relationships," Vanderhoef said.
Bachelet also signed a partnership agreement between the
California State University system and the Technical University
of Chile involving curriculum development, college preparation
and remediation strategies.
She also planned to visit UC Berkeley this afternoon to lecture
and sign a collaborative agreement focused on alternative
energy, higher education and innovation.
The Davis connection
Chancellor Vanderhoef noted that UC Davis has for decades been
at the heart of collaborations between Chile and California. The
two partners share the same Mediterranean climate that is
conducive to producing similar food crops. And, because Chile
and California are in different hemispheres, they have alternate
growing seasons, which allows for a vibrant international trade
in fresh fruits and vegetables.
More than 50 Chileans who studied agricultural sciences at UC
Davis during the 1960s and 1970s are widely credited with
helping to transform Chile into one of the world's leading
fresh-fruit exporters, a movement that has contributed to the
nation's rising standard of living.
Many of those Chilean students were participants in "convenio"
Chile-California, a 1965-73 exchange agreement that sent UC
professors to Chile and Chilean graduate students to UC
campuses.
Most of the Chilean students came to UC Davis to study
agriculture.
In Chile, those students became known as the "Davis boys," a
nickname derived from the "Chicago boys," who were young
Chileans who studied economics at the University of Chicago and
launched economic policies that made Chile a model for
free-trade advocates.
UC Davis and the University of California also are participating
in a collaborative agreement with Fundacion Chile, a private,
non-profit organization focused on nurturing innovation and
developing skills and expertise in the workforce to boost
Chile's economy.
New agreements
The first of the two newly signed agreements between UC Davis
and Chile lays the groundwork for a new research, development
and training program focused on plant genetic resources;
development of new and hardier crop varieties; release of new
crop varieties for the global market and collaborative graduate
training programs in the area of plant genetics and breeding.
The agreement was signed by UC Davis' Vanderhoef and by Leopold
Sanchez, president of Chile's Institute for Agricultural
Research.
UC Davis'
Seed Biotechnology Center
in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Science will be
the primary campus partner in the new agreement. The Chilean
participants will include the National Association of Seed
Producers, the Institute of Research on Agricultural and
Livestock, University of Chile, Pontificia Catholic University
of Chile, Pontificia Catholic University of Valparaiso,
University of Talca and University Austral of Chile.
The second agreement initiates a new research, development and
training program intended to improve grape growing and
winemaking expertise and technology. The new program will
emphasize sustainable production, wine flavor improvement, and
training of the next generation of winemakers and grape growers
for both Chile and California.
Coordinating UC Davis activities in the partnership will be the
Department of Viticulture and Enology in the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Chilean participants
will include Vinnova, a consortium enterprise formed through the
partnership of Vinas de Chile, the Catholic University of Chile,
and the University of Concepcion, with the support of Innova
Chile, a program coordinated by Chile's Ministry of Economy.
This second UC Davis agreement was signed by Neal Van Alfen,
dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
and by Rafael Giulisasti, president of the board of Vinnova. |
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