UC Board of Regents honors exceptional faculty at first Innovation Awards
September 29, 2026 •
The UC Regents pose with guest speakers and winners of the 2026 UC Regents Innovation Awards.
(Credit: University of California)
On Sept. 16, members of the UC Board of Regents launched the UC Regents Innovation Awards at a celebratory event at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center, which welcomed California public officials and leaders from across the university. Twenty-three exceptional UC innovators were chosen from a group of nominees that represented all 10 UC campuses and three affiliated national laboratories.
The new awards recognize UC faculty, researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs whose innovative work turns groundbreaking research into practical solutions. They highlight colleagues across the university who are making a difference in people’s lives — throughout California and worldwide.
“We established the Regents Innovation Awards with two core objectives: to further encourage our extraordinary UC community of faculty and researchers to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, and to celebrate the trailblazing inventors and entrepreneurs who embody this spirit,” said UC Board of Regents Chair Maria Anguiano. “The visionaries we honored have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to progress through new technologies, products, and services designed to uplift the human condition.”
Read about the awards — and explore the winners — at UCnet
Extraordinary contributions to the world
The 23 exceptional UC innovators who earned the inaugural awards are curing diseases, tackling climate change, launching new industries and connecting people all over the world. Read their stories at the UC Newsroom.
