In 2015, under the leadership of ADSA Past President Scott Rankin, the ADSA Board of Directors approved a strategic initiative that posits an overarching goal “to attract and foster the best minds affecting the global dairy discipline through increasing the strength of our community.” International members represent a key constituency within the ADSA community. The Teagasc-Moorepark/University College Cork Cheese Symposium arose out of this strategic initiative as an action item aimed at strengthening a sense of community for our international members. The basic concept is to use organizationally defined symposia to encourage partnerships between ADSA and international organizations that are known for their outstanding research in dairy food science. The ultimate goal of such partnerships is to afford our international colleagues new and welcoming opportunities to work and learn together with our North American ADSA members and industry partners in areas of mutual benefit. Dwindling resources to support basic research in dairy food science are affecting scientists globally, yet the need for basic dairy food research to meet global challenges, and the need to leverage global intellectual and infrastructural resources for the broader good, have never been greater. The Teagasc-Moorepark/University College Cork Cheese Symposium is a pilot effort that aims to (1) showcase some of the finest cutting-edge cheese science globally; (2) serve as a venue to encourage scientist-to-scientist connections and explore potential opportunities for international partnership at the organizational level; and (3) offer the cheese industry a platform to shape/influence future cheese research. An example of a positive outcome of this pilot effort would be a partnership that is mutually beneficial on both sides of the Atlantic, that strengthens the ADSA international community, and that demonstrates the potential for replication with other international organizations that are known for their outstanding research in dairy food science.