A Message from Steven Beckwith

Vice President For Research and Graduate Studies
to UC Faculty and Industry Partners Involved With MICRO

Despite severe and continuing budget difficulties, the University of California remains committed to working with the private sector to promote cutting-edge research, to develop new technologies and products, and to train the next generation of technical entrepreneurs in the State of California.

In 2008 and 2009, I consulted with faculty, campus and UCOP staff who regularly work with the private sector, to determine how we can best achieve administrative savings and preserve our efforts to work productively on exciting new areas of research with industry partners. Toward these ends, we have merged the Microelectronics Innovation and Computer Research (MICRO) into the UC Discovery Grant portfolio as a solicited research field. General information about UC Discovery Grants is available at www.ucdiscovery.org.

I want to congratulate those faculty – past and present – who have won MICRO awards, supporting innovative research in microelectronics technology, its applications in computer and information sciences, and its necessary antecedents in other physical science disciplines. Since its inception in 1981, MICRO has helped the California electronics and computer industries maintain their leadership by expanding relevant research and has enhanced graduate student training and education at UC. I have no doubt that these objectives will continue to be well served as we carry on with our broader UC Discovery Grants program.

Winding Down Current MICRO Awards: Notwithstanding deep budget cuts, we were able to provide all 2008/2009 applicants with MICRO matching funds, albeit at a lower level than in previous years.

To complete work on this final round of MICRO awards and those awards made earlier, we have adopted the following new policy:

Any MICRO award granted in 2008 may have a no-cost-extension until December 31, 2010, to complete work.

Any MICRO award granted in 2007 or earlier may have a no-cost-extension until June 30, 2010, to complete work.

When a PI exhausts the relevant period noted above, no further no-cost-extensions will be granted. At that point, any unexpended industry funds in the form of a gift must be rolled over into the campus's gift account and will be subject to the campus's gift tax. Any unexpended industry funds in the form of a grant must be returned to the industry sponsor, and any unexpended UCOP funds must be returned to UCOP.

Should faculty with current MICRO awards have any questions, please consult your campus Contracts and Grants offices.