Chinese company BGI, the world’s largest genomics organization, has signed a master agreement with University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to seal an alliance that will launch a joint genomics facility on the campus called “BGI@UC Davis”. The goal of BGI@UC Davis is to cultivate crucial breakthroughs in environmental, animal and human health through advanced genomic research. “The discoveries that flow from this partnership will have a worldwide impact,” said UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.

An intial partnership agreement was established between the organizations in June 2011, with a second agreement in October 2011 to establish interim BGI facilities for immediate use at UC Davis and to initiate planning for a permanent BGI@UC Davis facility. The master agreement, signed on February 17, 2012 fully confirms those plans. BGI has already moved three state-of-the-art DNA sequencing machines into the interim facility. When finished, BGI@UC Davis will accommodate 20 machines, significantly increasing the DNA sequencing capabilities available to researchers.

The UC Davis faculty and students will have access to the resources and expertise of one of the world’s foremost genomics and bioinformatics institutes; while BGI researchers will be able to access the university’s diverse range of resources and expertise in research, biology, human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, the environment and education.

Jian Wang, president of BGI stated, “We look forward to a highly productive relationship with UC Davis, one of the top research universities in the U.S., especially in the areas of agricultural, environmental and biological research. Given UC Davis’ expertise in these areas, coupled with BGI’s expertise in genome sequencing and bioinformatics, we expect this partnership and the establishment of BGI@UC Davis to lead to significant scientific breakthroughs.”