Over the years, UC researchers have pioneered innovations in every field,
spawning new companies, new jobs, even entire new industries. The discovery
of gene-splicing alone launched the $8 billion biotechnology industry, which
employs over 7,000 Californians. The creation of the wetsuit led to a $100
million annual business. And the invention of the nicotine patch resulted
in a new product that helps smokers kick the habit. The list goes on.
UC students and faculty, collectively regarded as an "idea bank,"
attract millions of dollars in funding each year. For example, the university
annually earns more than $60 million in royalties and licensing fees from
its inventions, more than any other university in the nation.
In fact, for every $1 California invests in UC, the university raises another
$3 from the federal government and the private sector. A 300 percent return.
But perhaps the greatest payback on California's investment comes from its
most valuable resource: UC graduates. They go on to become
engineers, scientists, doctors, artists, writers,
and founders of their own companies. Their intelligence,
skills, and imagination activate fresh ideas and new enterprises, creating
a wealth of jobs for Californians. Just possibly yours.
UC Santa Cruz: Solving the riddles of cancer An intriguing substance
harbored within the tissues of a tropical marine animal
may be a potent weapon in the fight against cancer. But less than a thimbleful
of the material exists, and no one can relocate the
obscure animal from which it came. So researchers in the laboratory of UCSC
chemist Joseph Konopelski are trying to make the
substance from scratch, work that has drawn the attention--and support--of
the American Cancer Society.