UC Davis is a new member of the National Textile Center, a federally funded research consortium of seven universities. The center accepted UC Davis as a member based on its research productivity in bio-based materials, nano-materials, functional textile products for health and safety, sensory science, and consumer behavior and cultural meanings.

The Division of Textiles and Clothing at UC Davis will receive $250,000 in the first year of funding. California is the leading U.S. apparel manufacturer with $13 billion in products each year.

"The consortium offers our researchers even more opportunities to explore the textile sciences in ways that directly impact what people wear and the protective clothing for public safety workers," said professor Susan Kaiser, chair of the UC Davis textiles and clothing division.

The 11-year-old National Textile Center includes Auburn University, Clemson University, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Cornell University and Philadelphia University. The institutions share human resources, equipment and facilities in the goal of developing innovative research on textiles.