UC Davis just scored a major boost to its ag-tech ambitions, announcing a bequest of more than $25 million from the estate of the late Dan G. Best II that university leaders say will speed up agricultural-technology research on campus. The gift will endow faculty chairs, launch an innovation fund and pay for a robotics-and-sensing suite inside the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation.
In a UC Davis news release, university officials said the two-part gift from the estate of Dan G. Best II dedicates roughly $12 million to create three C. L. Best endowed chairs in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and about $12.5 million to establish the C. L. Best Innovation in Agriculture Fund to support student scholarships, faculty research and facility improvements. “We are deeply grateful to Dan Best for this extraordinary gift, which allows UC Davis to carry forward the legacy of C. L. Best by continuing to invent and respond to the evolving needs of the agriculture industry,” Chancellor Gary S. May said in the release.
Resnick Center, labs and timeline
Design and construction documents show the Resnick Center is being planned as a compact, high-performance hub where sensor and robotics prototyping, AI-driven data work and plant-breeding labs will live under one roof. As reported by Tradeline, the project includes flexible wet labs, a student maker space and sustainability-forward construction features, with occupancy slated for mid-to-late 2026.
Endowed chairs and the C.L. Best suite
The bequest will also bankroll the C. L. Best Agricultural Innovation Robotics and Sensing Suite inside the Resnick Center, a facility university leaders say will support work in agricultural robotics, sensing technologies, artificial intelligence and sustainability. As reported by the Sacramento Business Journal, the estate gift will fund new faculty positions, student support and research infrastructure tied to ag-tech.
Why it matters for students and startups
UC Davis is consistently ranked among the nation’s top programs for agricultural sciences and biological and agricultural engineering, and leaders say this investment will help move campus research more quickly into practical tools for growers and ag-tech startups. “These three chairs will help translate agricultural research and innovation into deployable products and tangible solutions,” said Fadi Fathallah, chair of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, in the UC Davis release.
The bequest ties a century-old family legacy, with the Best name rooted in early tractor innovation, to current efforts to automate and decarbonize food production. University officials say the funds will begin to be deployed as hiring and equipment purchases ramp up ahead of the Resnick Center’s opening later this year.
