From the air we breathe to the education of tomorrow's leaders, our funded research directly benefits the people of California with improved health and well-being; continued economic prosperity; and enriched cultural heritage.

Benefiting California

Toward a better future for the state

Our funding enables UC experts to tackle the pressing challenges faced by California and the nation. We have funded 520 research projects with over $260 million since 2009, and the benefits from these investments include enhancing education, culture, quality of life and economic activity across the state. They also include new tools to combat drought and wildfires, improve health, diagnose and treat cancer, and reduce social and economic disparities.

Other tangible returns from these investments are the dollars and talent they attract to California. Our grantees have leveraged UCRI seed funding to garner over $400 million in extramural awards. These include over 115 awards of $1-30 million and many smaller grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy and private foundations, among others. The impact of even small grants can be significant. For instance, our $55,000 seed grants for cancer research have generated more than a 13:1 return on investment in the form of new federal funding.