UC MBEST Center

BACKGROUND Located near world-renowned tourist and golfing destinations and one of the most beautiful coasts in the world, the Monterey Bay provides a center of excellence for innovation in marine, environmental, and information sciences and technologies. Beginning in 1994, the University of California, Santa Cruz has received nearly 1,100 acres of land from the U.S. Army in a phased transfer. Of this, 500 acres is planned for development and 600 will be managed as a habitat reserve by the UC Natural Reserve System. In 2001, the MBEST Center Headquarters Building was constructed and infrastructure was installed to serve the primary R&D campus, the "Central North" campus. In 2011, a visioning exercise with broad input from community leaders, recommended that the footprint of the MBEST Center be focused on the Central North campus, with surrounding non-habitat lands developed for job-generating uses. MISSION Consistent with the University of California’s mission, the mission of the UC MBEST Center is to create a constructive environment in which to foster the collaborative and cooperative interaction between public and private education and research institutions, government research agencies, private business, and policy makers in productive alliances. For more information, see the UC MBEST Center Mission Statement.