UC Berkeley has a long legacy of innovations and leaders that have created groundbreaking products, revolutionary companies, and entirely new industries. The university plays a critical role in California’s economy and the contributions of our entrepreneurs have a global reach.

The campus continues to expand the dynamic ecosystem that fosters research and its translation into real world applications. Numerous programs that are deeply integrated into the research, educational and service activities of the university help incubate, accelerate and expand tech transfer and a strong pipeline of start-ups. Learn more about this vibrant community of entrepreneurs and innovators here.  Many campus programs and centers help bridge the gap between lab and marketplace. You can also review a directory here.

UC Berkeley accelerates the translation of ideas and inventions developed by faculty, researchers, and students into products and services that benefit society.

• Over the last three decades, over 280 startup companies have been founded to commercialize IP rights under license from UC Berkeley.
• As of December 2022, companies under the IP licenses from Berkeley have commercialized more than 770 products.
• The Berkeley Research Infrastructure Commons (RIC) program enables early stage (pre-product sales) startup  companies affiliated with UC Berkeley to temporarily conduct new product R&D in faculty labs - under certain conditions and rigorous oversight.
• The university holds the the largest CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing portfolio in the United States with 49 US patents to date.
• A drug royalty, monetized for $93 million, helps fund biological research facilities, students, faculty recruitment and retention, and new initiatives.
• Two thirds of all biotechnology companies in California are spin-outs from five universities, including UC Berkeley.

See also UC Systemwide Economic, Fiscal, and Social Impact Analysis, Jan. 2021

At UC Berkeley innovators and entrepreneurs are creating groundbreaking products, revolutionary companies, and entirely new industries. The University plays a critical role in California’s economy. Last year the campus expanded the dynamic ecosystem that fosters novel approaches to research and its translation into real-world applications. As of December 2022 UC Berkeley has: