President's Research Catalyst Awards

Launched by President Napolitano in 2014, the President’s Research Catalyst Awards have provided $10 million to fund multicampus research in areas of strategic importance to UC that could benefit California and the world. Catalyst projects must involve a minimum of three UC campuses and address topics that have the potential to improve human lives, society, the environment, or the economy, enhance culture and community or provide other public benefit. Awards are open to all fields and are made on a competitive basis.

The first round of five awards was made in 2015, and totaled $3.1 million. In 2016, four additional projects, totaling $4.8 million, were launched. The third round of three awards, totaling $2.1 million, commenced in 2017. Learn more about the most recent round of Catalyst Award recipients in the press release for the 2017 awards.

Read more about the impacts of these awards in the Catalyst information sheet (pdf).

Prior Awards

2017 Awards

In the third round of the President’s Research Catalyst Awards, three awards were made, totaling $2.1 million. These highly meritorious projects were selected from the 97 eligible applications received in response to the 2017 Multicampus Research Funding Opportunities request for proposals.

View the 2017 press release and list of awards.

2016 Awards

In the second round of the President’s Research Catalyst Awards, four awards were made, totaling $4.8 million. These highly meritorious projects were selected from a pool of over 180 eligible applications.

View the 2016 press release and list of awards.

2015 Awards

In the inaugural round of the President’s Research Catalyst Awards, five awards were made, totaling $3.1 million. These highly meritorious projects were selected from the 186 eligible applications (totaling over $273 million in funding requests) received in response to the 2014 request for proposals for UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives.

View the 2015 press release and list of awards.