UC Berkeley Joins California-Israel Research Grant Program
The expansion brings new seed funding to Berkeley faculty for collaborative natural science projects through late 2026.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Biotech
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UC Berkeley recently joined the California-Israel Collaborations in Research program to expand seed grant funding for natural science faculty. The partnership, formalized in summer 2026, aims to facilitate cross-institutional research between campus faculty and researchers in Israel.
Why it matters
The expansion introduces new funding channels for cross-border scientific inquiry and academic exchange in fields like biotechnology and semiconductors. By scaling to Berkeley, the program increases the capacity for collaborative research efforts within the University of California system.
The program provides seed grant funding for research collaborations, with plans to award 4-5 research projects and 1-2 mobility awards by the end of 2026. This follows the model established at UC Davis, where the program has operated since 2017.
The players
UC Berkeley
A top-tier research university serving as a primary institutional partner for this expanded research funding initiative.
Koum Family Foundation
A private philanthropic organization with over $3 billion in net assets that provides financial backing for the research program.
Koret Foundation
A philanthropic foundation that co-funds the initiative to support international academic research and exchange.
The details
The initiative functions as a competitive seed grant mechanism where faculty pairs submit collaborative proposals for peer review. These projects span diverse natural science disciplines, previously including semiconductor design, cancer treatment, and sustainable barley breeding. Successful applicants receive funding to support shared research costs and international travel between California campuses and Israeli research partners.
Timeline
The California-Israel research program began at UC Davis in 2017.
UC Berkeley partnered with the California-Israel Collaborations in Research organization in summer 2026.
The program expects to award research and mobility projects by the end of 2026.
The Tech Race
The expansion of this program to UC Berkeley follows the operational framework established by the California-Israel Collaborations in Research program at UC Davis. It marks a strategic scaling of cross-border scientific funding across the University of California system.
Faculty and researchers at UC Berkeley are now eligible to apply for international collaboration grants previously restricted to other campuses. The program provides the necessary capital to initiate joint natural science projects with Israeli researchers starting in the current selection cycle.
The takeaway
The partnership signals a broadening of the University of California's international research pipeline for natural sciences. Observers should track the project selection results due by the end of 2026 to see which specific biotech and semiconductor research areas receive initial funding.
What happens next
The program is scheduled to finalize its selection process and award 4-5 research projects and 1-2 mobility awards by the end of 2026.
Further reading
For broader trends in academic scientific partnerships, see Biotech.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Cal | Berkeley news.
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