The Seed Biotechnology Center at the University of California, Davis, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a May 11-12 symposium titled “Seed Biotechnologies: Filling the Gap between the Public and Private Sector.”

The free, public symposium is designed to bring together scientists from universities, government and private industry to discuss technological advancements in plant breeding, seed biology and their applications in agriculture, and the need for increased education of plant breeders to continue the development of improved crop varieties.

Keynote speakers will be Rob Dirks of Rijk Zwaan, a vegetable breeding and seed production firm based in the Netherlands; Molly Jahn, a plant geneticist and dean of the University of Wisconsin — Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; and Mathilde Causse, head of the fruit and vegetable genetics and breeding unit at the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in France.

“Expanding partnerships between the public and private sectors can provide mutual benefits for research, product development and education,” said Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center. “This symposium will provide scientists from the public and private arenas with the opportunity to share research findings and develop collaboration to bring plant science discoveries from the lab to the farm and, eventually, to the consumer.”

Additional information and registration for the conference are available at http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/About_the_Center/Symposium.htm. For more information, contact Jamie Miller, Seed Biotechnology Center, (530) 752-9985,