The University of California, Davis, will host the European Plant Breeding Academy (PBA) Class IV starting in October of 2015 and running through June of 2017.
The class will meet during the following dates and locations:
- Oct. 5-10, 2015, in Gent, Belgium.
- March 7-12, 2016, in Angers, France.
- June 27-July 2, 2016, in Gatersleben, Germany.
- October 3-8, 2016, in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands.
- March 6-11, 2017, in Almeria, Spain.
- June 26-30, 2017, in Davis, California, United States.
The PBA started in 2010 with a modest ambition to provide European breeders access to the PBA program without having to travel across nine time zones for all six sessions. It turned out that the European PBA became a success story on its own. To date, 52 breeders from 13 European countries, Israel, Thailand and the U.S. have attended the first three classes of the European PBA.
The academy has received high approval by both participants and their employers. More than 70 percent of the students came from companies that have repeatedly sent breeders to the European PBA. Several companies have trained more than five breeders through the course.
Employers appreciate the model which provides advanced training without disrupting their full-time employment. Participants attend six 6-day sessions during two years. Each session is organized in a different European country, with the final session at UC-Davis.
For more information on the UC-Davis European Plant Breeding Academy, visit pba.ucdavis.edu.
