The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) at the University of California (UC), in partnership with the Academic Innovation Catalyst (AIC), have launched the CITRIS Innovation Fellowship program and the AIC Awards, aimed at transforming UC research into viable commercial solutions to address society’s most pressing challenges.
The Innovation Fellowship and AIC Awards, made possible by Matt and Lisa Sonsini, will further CITRIS’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship for societal benefit.
Read about the 2024 recipients.
Eligibility
Applicants must have principal investigator status (typically given to faculty members) at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced or UC Santa Cruz. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who hold PI status with the University of California are also eligible.
The award must be used to translate laboratory research into a product, platform or service that can be adopted in the marketplace. Funding postdoctoral or student support for this purpose is allowed.
Benefits
The program will confer three awards per year. Award amounts are expected to be up to $200,000 over two years, based on the proposal’s needs and opportunities.
PIs may be eligible for accelerated funding upon achieving certain milestones, or for larger amounts where the potential is extraordinary and a compelling need exists.
Awardees will be admitted to the CITRIS Foundry and/or the CITRIS Innovation Hub. The CITRIS Foundry, CITRIS Innovation Hub and AIC may also provide access to mentorship and coaching, legal support, business plan and pitch development, market research, financial advice, and matchmaking with leading industry partners. Awardees will be expected to actively participate in workshops, training and other sessions that are designed to assist them with bringing their research and products to market.
Awardees will be recognized as CITRIS Innovation fellows.
Areas of Innovation
All areas of relevance to the mission of CITRIS will be considered, and, other areas may also be considered. For the upcoming cohort, the following areas are of special interest: advanced aviation, aerospace, AI for good, climate resilience and other deep tech applications.
Evaluation Criteria
This award is designed to bring innovative solutions that make a remarkable social impact to market. A requested outcome of the project is to identify risks and barriers to commercialization, product market fit, customer discovery, and viability for venture capital or other investment. A demonstrated path to commercialization within two to three years is expected.
Process
Finalists will be invited to present their proposed innovations to the selection committee in short (10- to 15-minute) in-person meetings. A slide template will be provided. CITRIS Innovation fellows will be chosen from these final candidates.
Timeline
- Aug. 28, 2024: Online application portal opens for submissions
- Sept. 11: Online info session at 3 p.m. PT with live Q&A
- Oct. 7: Applications are due online at 5 p.m. PT
- November: Awardees are notified.
Information Session
An online info session was offered Wednesday, Sept. 12. A captioned video of that presentation is now available:
Contact
For more information, or to receive a copy of the slide presentation from the info session, please contact Ravnit Plaha, CITRIS development manager, at ravnit@berkeley.edu.
