Description of Collaborative Activity: |
In 2008, the USDA Agricultural Service initiated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NCCAM to exchange expertise in technology development and partner research initiatives to advance the field of probiotic biology and role in human health. The MOU consists of a five year plan defining common mission goals; expected benefits from the exchange of research expertise and resources; and demonstration projects based on NIH/NCCAM funded U01 cooperative agreements. The long-term goal of the MOU is to develop trans-agency networked initiatives. In 2012, the unique resources of USDA/ARS and the HMP investigators were successfully implemented as a parallel comparative biotechnologies validation and standardization prototype with targeted molecular approaches. |
