CITRIS launches Tech for Social Good program at UC Santa Cruz

New program to sponsor student research projects and events on the UCSC campus will hold an information session for students on Tuesday, October 1

A new Tech for Social Good program at UC Santa Cruz, launched by CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and cosponsored by the Institute for Social Transformation, will fund student research projects and events, encouraging students across all campus divisions to participate and form cross-disciplinary teams.

The Tech for Social Good program supports student-led learning and technology development for healthy, sustainable, connected, and equitable livelihoods in the United States and abroad. An information and matchmaking session for students will be held on Tuesday, October 1, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Engineering 2, Room 180.

"We're starting Tech for Social Good to inspire students across all campus divisions to work together creating projects that address the big challenges facing our society," said J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves, director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Santa Cruz. "It's also an excellent opportunity for them to gain experience as innovators and entrepreneurs. We're excited to support this new channel for the tremendous creativity of our campus."

The program is open to teams of graduate and undergraduate students and has two competitive tracks, one to support technology development and another to support student-led events on campus. Through the technology track, students can apply for funding of $500 to $5,000 for tech-focused projects that promote social good by supporting healthy, sustainable, prosperous, and equitable livelihoods in the United States and abroad.

The events track will provide between $200 and $1,000 for individual students, student organizations, or student groups at UC Santa Cruz to develop events or programming that improve and support technological innovations that support healthy, sustainable, and connected communities.

CITRIS has successfully run Tech for Social Good programs on the UC Berkeley and UC Davis campuses for several years, funding and supporting a wide range of successful student-led projects and events.

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute create information technology solutions for society's most pressing challenges. Established in 2001, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) leverages the interdisciplinary research strengths of multiple UC campuses to advance the University of California’s mission and the innovative spirit of California. The institute was created to shorten the pipeline between world-class laboratory research and the development of cutting-edge applications, platforms, companies, and even new industries.