Researchers at the University of California, Davis, are working with California Cultured, a Sacramento based food-tech company, to keep chocolate affordable and sustainable by growing everyone's favorite treat directly from plant cells.

UC Davis celebrated the grand opening of the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation, a state-of-the-art facility designed to transform agricultural research, teaching and outreach while accelerating solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges in food systems and sustainability.

The accelerator provides founders with intensive mentorship, structured entrepreneurial training, strategic guidance and industry connections to help advance promising technologies toward commercialization. The launch of the inaugural cohort marks an important milestone in UC Davis' continued investment in innovation and entrepreneurship. 

UC Davis received less grant money in the past year than any of the previous 15 years, the latest UC system data show. UC Davis received less grant money in fiscal year 2025 than during any of the previous 15 years, after adjusting for inflation. Federal, state, nonprofit and private awards totaled $961 million in fiscal year 2025, down about 10% from the previous year.

UC Davis researchers have received a nearly $4 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to develop the world’s first standardized method for measuring and describing the neurotoxicity of airborne nanoplastics.

A $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will help UC Davis researchers test a bioengineered graft infused with ligands (molecules) to treat neuropathic bladders of children with spina bifida or spinal cord injuries.

Researchers at UC Davis are developing AI-driven tools to analyze vast digital archives of brain tissue scans - work that cannot be done at scale by humans alone - to better understand dementia and improve diagnosis and treatment. The AggieBrain initiative is made possible by a gift of $420,500 from the Susan and Charles Berghoff Foundation with major support from Darrin Mollett and William “Bill” Ballhaus ’89. 

The facility, funded by a U.S. Army Combat Compatibility Development Command Army Research Office grant, houses state-of-the-art motion capture and photogrammetry technologies to image birds in flight. The data gathered will inform the design of uncrewed aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as UAVs, and provide valuable insights into how birds fly, which can contribute to avian rehabilitation. 

Seven early career faculty members at UC Davis are being recognized with awards from the university and the UC Office of the President that highlight their research and creative exploration.