UC’s climate of innovation pays off for California
May 16, 2016 •
The University of California has long been a beacon of cutting-edge research and higher education in California, but increasingly UC is playing a pivotal role in the California economy as a driving force behind successful technology startups.
In 2015, UC research led to 85 new startups and 1,756 new inventions — roughly five inventions disclosed every day.
The commercialization of UC research is not merely for the benefit of the system, it’s a significant boost to the California economy: Active startups commercializing UC inventions have generated over $21 billion in revenue and currently employ more than 18,000 Californians.
Beyond jobs and in-state revenue, commercialization of UC technology serves a broader goal of getting knowledge and inventions into the hands of the public as quickly and effectively as possible.
“The essence of UC’s public service mission is to ensure that its research innovations create public benefit by transferring this knowledge to the private sector,” said Bill Tucker, executive director of Innovation Alliances and Services at UCOP.
