IIFH FoodShot Fellowship

IIFH has partnered with a new investment platform, FoodShot Global (FSG) to bring a network of groundbreaking entrepreneurs, researchers and advocates together to advance new products, solve formulation and commercialization challenges in the food system. To kick off the partnership, FSG will be hosting a UC Davis graduate student in a unique fellowship opportunity to gain real-world experience in the process of landscaping and vetting food and agriculture startups. Bridging the gap between the lab bench and the marketplace, the IIFH FoodShot Fellow will be exposed to essential entrepreneurial insights on what it takes to bring a concept to market and succeed. After careful review from a highly competitive pool of UC Davis applicants, we are excited to have selected our inaugural IIFH FoodShot Fellow.

Energy-Food Nexus

The Innovation Institute for Food & Health (IIFH) seeded projects in food, agriculture, health, engineering and technology. Having consulted with research and industry colleagues in 2015 and 2016, two interdisciplinary themes subsequently emerged as priorities— innovative solutions at the interface of energy and food.

An initial joint endeavor between the Energy Institute at Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of California at Davis (UCD) emphasized technologies and processes to address energy inefficiencies, food safety and nutritional content in food preservation. An illustrative area of interest includes, innovations to augment cold storage approaches, such as improving traditional drying practices used for tree nut, corn and rice preservation in the US. Instruments of change beyond food preservation technologies include advances in packaging, distribution, consumer education and behavior, as well as market and policy drivers.

Food, Ag and Health

The first innovation cycle was designed to foster uncommon interdisciplinary collaboration and generate transformational insights and real-world applications in the broad arenas of health, governance, knowledge, sustainability and values/behaviors.

Working with at least one UC Davis senate/federation member, innovation projects spearheaded novel and disruptive approaches to some of the key issues inherent in offering sustainable and equitable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for the world’s burgeoning population. Other members were invited from across broad disciplines, including local and international physical and life sciences, social sciences and humanities, non-profits, food industry, venture groups, farming and ranching, business leaders, and software and hardware developers.

Regional and global breakthroughs in our understanding of the physical/environmental, social/cultural and economic/governance contexts of food production, processing, distribution and waste can transform industry and society. Eight projects in food, ag and health led the way.