Bakar Award and AIC-Bakar Award
UC Berkeley and UCSF's Bakar Awards fund faculty research in STEM and climate tech, supporting proof-of-concept projects with commercialization and societal impact potential.
Funder: University of California Berkeley
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (Full application deadline for Bakar Award and AIC-Bakar Award, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $100,000/year for three years (Bakar Award, single PI); $200,000/year for three years (collaborative, two PIs); $300,000 total over three years (AIC-Bakar Award, climate-focused).
Summary: Supports UC Berkeley and UCSF faculty in advancing innovative, commercially promising research, with emphasis on climate and deep tech solutions.
Description
The Bakar Award and AIC-Bakar Award are designed to accelerate faculty-led research at UC Berkeley and UCSF toward tangible societal impact through commercialization. These awards support proof-of-concept projects at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and above, providing discretionary research funding to help faculty achieve key milestones and move innovations closer to market. The AIC-Bakar Award, in partnership with the Academic Innovation Catalyst, specifically targets projects addressing climate-related challenges and fosters academic innovation in deep technology, especially in Climate Tech and AI for Good. The program is highly competitive and aims to nurture entrepreneurship in STEM+ fields, including engineering, computer science, chemistry, biological sciences, architecture, and more.
