Industry Sponsored Institutes

UC Berkeley is experienced at setting up and running successful Industry Sponsored Institutes (ISI or Institute).

What is an Industry Sponsored Institute?

An ISI is established, organized, hosted, and directed by UC Berkeley faculty and/or staff and funded by private industry. An Institute has these features:

  • • created through an ISI Master Agreement between UC Berkeley and an industry sponsor with appendices which may include: master sponsored research agreement and a form of task order, intellectual property license terms, lease agreement, and other appendices as relevant
  • • managed in the same manner as an organized research unit (ORU) (even if not officially designated as an ORU)
  • • focused on a defined area of research
  • • research projects are undertaken under the terms of a master sponsored research agreement and research task orders
  • • in support of research, the ISI Master Agreement funds provide for university operational and staff support, Institute governance, and, in some cases, lease of UC Berkeley space by a sponsor (negotiated by Real Estate Services and included in the ISI Master Agreement appendix)

 

An Institute:

  • furthers the University’s research mission
  • facilitates private funding of public research
  • educates students and provides career opportunities
  • enhances feedback from industry to inform academic research
  • facilitates the translation and commercialization of UC Berkeley research results

 

Creating and running an Institute is a major commitment and investment of the University in leadership and administrative resources.

If you would like to explore establishing an Industry Sponsored Institute at UC Berkeley with corporate funding, please fill out an IPIRA Concierge form. An IPIRA staff member will reach out to you and discuss the opportunity.

If you are interested in forming an institute with funding from a foundation or other non-profit entity (such as a U.S. or foreign university), or state or federal government funds, contact the Sponsored Projects Office for assistance. 

 

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