The grant will enable UC Davis to set up a new AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems.

UC Davis has received a grant of $20 million for a research institute to integrate artificial intelligence in food systems. The project is one part of a national drive worth $ 140 million under an initiative of the National Science Foundation involving research universities and agencies. (Sacramento Business Journal)

Five-year grant period

The new institute to be set up by UC Davis would be named AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS).

The main objective of the research Institute is to boost efficiency throughout the food system. The activities covered will include:

• optimizing plants for yield, quality and disease resistance through molecular breeding
• minimize resource consumption and waste
• food safety, nutrition and personalized health decisions in diet
• use of AI applications, sensing platforms, and robotics

The AIFS would be led by director Ilias Tagkopoulos. It would include 40 researchers from universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

“The food system is ripe for disruption, with many advances over the past decade paving the way to a transformation,” observed Tagkopoulos.

The grant will also cover participation in the project by the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which is a separate research group of the University of California system, based in the city of Davis.

“As with many of our world’s greatest challenges, addressing the critical needs in our food supply requires extensive collaboration between experts from different disciplines,” said Prasant Mohapatra, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis. “The collection of expertise assembled for this new institute brings much hope for transformative advancements to be realized.”

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Image credit: Vertical Farming by Wikimedia