The US federal government runs the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. For more information, visit the SBIR/STTR website.
Startup companies can ask UC Berkeley faculty to submit a proposal to be a subcontractor on the company’s SBIR/STTR grant. In those situations, the subcontract proposals are reviewed and officially submitted by the Industry Alliances Office (IAO). If that proposal is accepted, then the IAO also negotiates the subcontract with the company.