Academic Innovation Catalyst Partners with UC Berkeley Bakar Fellows Program to Launch Deep Tech Funding Platform

Academic Innovation Catalyst (AIC) has announced a new partnership with the Bakar Fellows Program at UC Berkeley. This collaboration aims to provide proof-of-concept funding to bring Berkeley's deep technology discoveries out of the lab and into the market.

Initially, AIC will grant $690,000 to support both Berkeley faculty and the Bakar Fellows infrastructure. The goal is to promote climate technologies with commercial potential. Berkeley faculty members Robert Pilawa-Podgurski and Zakaria Al Balushi are the first recipients. Pilawa-Podgurski's project focuses on developing ultra-high-power-density converters, while Al Balushi's research aims to create energy-efficient methods for producing materials like gallium nitride and ammonia.

The partnership includes additional support in areas such as legal assistance, business planning, market research, and team building to enhance the commercialization of research. This initiative serves as a model of collaboration between public universities and private entities to drive innovation.