UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, Novo Nordisk Foundation Announce First-of-Its-Kind Fellowship
By Marissa Pickard
The University of California, Davis’s Innovation Institute for Food and Health, UC Investments and Denmark’s Novo Nordisk Foundation today announced a unique collaboration to develop international leaders in food and planetary health.
The first-of-its-kind program will give biotechnology-focused Ph.D. and postdoctoral students in Denmark and the United States the training and experience needed to effectively apply their university research into companies that accelerate positive societal impact. This will be accomplished through cross-border exchanges in research labs and innovation centers, with mentorship from venture capital investors and business leaders. The first cohort of fellows – three from Danish universities and three from UC Davis – will be chosen this year and begin a six-month rotation in 2026.
This collaboration aims to share knowledge and inspire innovation between two vibrant biotechnology communities, strengthening their ability to develop new solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges related to food and health. Together, they will create a network of innovators dedicated to translating research into real-world impact. The program aims to:
Need for collaboration
The Innovation Institute for Food and Health, or IIFH, leverages UC Davis’ expertise as a global leader in food systems research and sustainability, transforming groundbreaking discoveries and cutting-edge research into successful commercial ventures. Its partnership with UC Investments, which invests on behalf of the University of California system, and its separate program placing students in nearby Silicon Valley venture capital firms, amplifies its influence as a global hub for food system innovation. The Novo Nordisk Foundation, with its mission of improving human and planetary health, is an ideal collaborator to drive transformative progress toward a healthier and more sustainable global food system.
“Challenges to the world’s food supply are growing and thanks to technology and collaboration, so are solutions,” said UC Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher. “That’s why UC Investments is delighted to be part of this unique partnership with UC Davis, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and many Danish universities. We strongly believe the global return on this investment of research expertise, knowledge sharing and capital will pay dividends for generations to come.”
Managing more than $180 billion in assets, UC Investments plays a crucial role in advancing research-driven solutions to global challenges. As the investment arm of the University of California, it supports the institution’s world-renowned research and discoveries. UC generates an average of four new inventions daily and holds more utility patents than any other university system.
Model program
“Global challenges at the intersection of food and health can’t be tackled by any one organization alone. That’s why building partnerships like this are so important,” said Justin Siegel, faculty director of the Innovation Institute for Food and Health and professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at UC Davis. “We are thrilled to partner with universities in Denmark, the UC Investments team and Novo Nordisk’s BioInnovation Institute, or BII, to create a model that can grow to include even more international collaborators in the future.”
UC Davis-based IIFH fosters impactful partnerships with food companies, investors and researchers to drive interdisciplinary solutions in food and planetary health. Through programs such as this fellowship, the institute bridges the gap between academia and industry, accelerating the discovery and commercialization of innovative food and health technologies. UC Davis has deep, multi-disciplinary expertise in the food system — with more than 2,000 of its 5,000 researchers working on food and more than 100 centers and institutes focused on the food system.
“Turning scientific discoveries into real-world solutions is going to be critical for solving the food and sustainability challenges of the future,” said Professor Tine Rask Licht, director of Denmark’s National Food Institute. “This is why we are so keen to collaborate with UC Davis, BII, UC Investments, Technical University of Demark’s Skylab, START and other stakeholders on this NNF-supported initiative in training young career researchers in translation of their research.”
Denmark’s Centre for Sustainable Agrifood Systems, or START, is a research-driven collaboration platform designed to foster knowledge-sharing across a network of leading Danish universities and create new opportunities for interdisciplinary partnerships with an international focus.
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