Over the past year, tens of thousands of people have watched and listened to University of California, Davis, researchers describe how federally funded research advances human and animal health, enables farmers to grow higher-yielding and sustainable crops, and enhances our understanding of our planet and cosmos. More recently, UC Davis’ From Labs to Lives campaign also has shared the voices of patients, animal caretakers and entrepreneurs who have benefited from university research done in partnership with the federal government. 

Today, on the first anniversary of the campaign launch, the university is conducting a campuswide takeover with units highlighting the value of federally funded research through a range of disciplines and applications. 

“American leadership in medicine, science and engineering did not happen by accident – it happened because the federal government created a pact with academic institutions, like UC Davis, which are best equipped to carry out research in the public interest,” said Dana Topousis, the university’s chief marketing and communications officer. “We launched From Labs to Lives a year ago because the federal government began taking steps to weaken that partnership, which has been a vital feature of America’s global leadership for decades. We remain invested in communicating the critical impact that federally funded research has on lives and the economy.”

The UC Davis Office of Strategic Communications launched From Labs to Lives in February 2025 in partnership with the Office of Research and Government and Community Relations. The campaign is centered around testimonials from more than 50 researchers – spanning fields as diverse as Alzheimer’s disease, plant breeding and quantum nanotechnologies – as well as people who have benefited from their work. 

Encouraging outcomes emerge, but challenges remain

So far during the From Labs to Lives campaign, videos featuring UC Davis researchers have been viewed nearly 12,000 times, while web pages about the campaign have been viewed more than 68,000 times. The 323 social media posts have had 2.56 million impressions and more than 84,000 engagements. Nearly 600 news stories have been published or broadcast about federally funded UC Davis research.

Other universities and organizations have led similar campaigns engaging stakeholders.

Earlier this month, Congress confirmed its support for federally funded research with the passage of the 2026 appropriations package maintaining funding at, or just below, previous levels and including provisions that prevent changes to facilities and administrative (F&A) rates for most agencies throughout this funding cycle. Despite this encouraging outcome, challenges to funding and F&A rates continue, as does the need to communicate the importance and impact of these investments. 

UC Davis faculty, staff and students can join the campaign’s second “takeover” by changing their email signature or Zoom background, posting on social media or by updating their department’s website.

A toolkit developed by Strategic Communications includes Canva templates, social media photo frames, Zoom backgrounds, email signature designs and other resources to communicate support for UC Davis’ federally funded research. It is available in Box to those with a UC Davis login and includes easy ways to show your support of From Labs to Lives — and by extension, the stories on that site showing the impact of UC Davis’ federally funded research. Animated GIFs and social media post templates are also available in the toolkit. People can use the hashtag #FromLabsToLives when sharing support online.

UC Davis also encourages supporters inside and outside the university to nominate “Champions” – people who have benefited from UC Davis researchers – using this form.

UC Davis is classified as an R1: Doctoral University with "very high research activity," indicating it is among the top U.S. institutions for research output, expenditure and doctoral degrees. This elite classification reflects the university's wide-ranging research enterprise, spanning fields such as agriculture, medicine and engineering. Overall, the federal government provided 47% of the $961 million in funding for research at UC Davis in the year ended June 30, 2025. 

“UC Davis has some of the finest researchers in the world in their disciplines, and we want people to not only recognize the importance of their work, but also realize it can’t be taken for granted,” said Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for research. “We’ve seen that when people come together for a cause, it can make a positive difference. That’s why From Labs to Lives remains a vital collaboration across UC Davis departments and campuses, and why we’re so gratified for the support we’ve received so far.”