Every semester, students bring a wide range of innovative projects to life at Jacobs Hall and throughout Berkeley’s vibrant design ecosystem. The Jacobs Institute Innovation Catalysts, made possible by Deborah Weisser, Ben Gomes, and the Eustace-Kwan Family Foundation, is a student grant program that provides an avenue for these ambitious student innovators to unlock further potential in their projects. 
Berkeley students are invited to propose projects that they aim to develop over the course of a semester. Selected grantees will work on their projects with the support of resources from the Jacobs Institute and CITRIS Invention Lab, and as part of a cohort of fellow student innovators. Reflecting a focus on shared investment within the institute’s student design community, the Jacobs Institute Student Advisory Board (SAB) plays a key role in the grant selection process. SAB members, who represent diverse perspectives from the student community, review and make finalist recommendations on grant submissions.
The Innovation Catalysts are awarded on a biannual basis, in January and September; several grants will be awarded during each grant cycle. Two types of grants are offered in the Innovation Catalysts program:
Grantees commit to:
Grantees receive monetary stipends at the start of the grant cycle, as requested in their grant proposals. Stipends are disbursed in the form of department awards from the UC Berkeley Financial Aid & Scholarships Office; please contact them if you have questions about how receiving a grant would affect your financial aid package or taxes. The grantees in each grant cycle will form a cohort, with members serving as peers and resources for each other. In addition to the grant stipends, grantees will receive support from the Jacobs Hall makerspace and the CITRIS Invention Lab, including advising from staff and sponsored Maker Passes.
Applicant eligibility:
Project eligibility:
We welcome a wide range of projects at the intersection of design and technology innovation, reflecting the multitude of talents and interests in the Jacobs community, as long as they fall within these guidelines:
Selection criteria: The Jacobs Student Advisory Board and leadership will evaluate applications based on the strength of the project, written proposal, and applicants. More detailed guidance and tips are provided in the proposal writing template.
Important dates and events for the fall 2021 and spring 2022 grant cycles are as follow. We are planning for grant cohort events (i.e. kickoff, midterm check-in, and showcase) to be held primarily in-person this year and in compliance with current campus public health guidance.
Upcoming Fall 2021 dates
Spring 2022 dates
The spring 2022 cohort application is now open; applications are due by Monday, January 3rd 11:59pm. The application form requests basic information about your project and team, and then asks you to upload a detailed proposal. Follow the instructions on this template to develop your proposal; it contains formatting and content guidelines and advice on how to develop a stronger application.
Can Berkeley students who are on leave for the semester participate in the grant program? How about non-UC Berkeley students?
Only actively enrolled Berkeley students may participate in the Innovation Catalysts program. Non-Berkeley students cannot be grant recipients. Grantees can still collaborate with non-students, but their collaborators cannot receive grant benefits.
Do I need to be on Berkeley campus in order to participate in the grant program?
Only students who are present on campus for the semester may participate in the Innovation Catalysts program, in order to fully benefit from the experience.
Should I apply for a Spark or Ignite grant?
The key differentiator between the two grants is the state of your project at the time you apply. If you have an idea but do not yet have a first prototype or proof of concept, the Spark grant would be more appropriate. If you wish to continue developing an existing prototype that already has demonstrated impact, the Ignite grant would be more appropriate. For Ignite grants, there is a higher expectation for progress made prior to the grant program and a more advanced deliverable achieved by the end of the program.
Do you have tips for how to create a good application?
The Selection Criteria section of this page provides guidance about what the review committee considers to be a strong application and the proposal template provides further guidance.
Is there a limit for how many times I can receive an Innovation Catalysts grant?
A grant project can receive Innovation Catalysts support up to two times (does not have to be sequential semesters). There is no specified limit on how many times an individual student can participate with different projects, although the grant committee will take prior participation into the grant program into consideration.
Do I retain intellectual property ownership of my grant projects?
The Jacobs Institute does not take ownership over any student work. Grant projects are still subject to UC Berkeley intellectual property policies, however. Please review the intellectual property FAQ for more information about how any policies might affect your project.
Can I use this grant to work on projects for a current or future startup?
Jacobs Hall resources are intended to support coursework, personal learning and open research. Early stage prototyping by individual students is considered under this category. However, Jacobs Hall resources may not be used for commercial purposes without a separate agreement with the Jacobs Institute. Projects for an already incorporated startup or business are considered to be in this latter category. Please review the intellectual property FAQ for more information.
To receive announcements about the Innovation Catalysts program, including reminders about upcoming key dates, please sign up to this listserv. Contact Amy Dinh at amydinh@berkeley.edu for questions.
Read about the current and past grant cohorts: