CITRIS and the Banatao Institute

What CITRIS and the Banatao Institute does

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute is a University of California multicampus research institute established in 2001 by Governor Gray Davis as one of four chartered Institutes for Science and Innovation, and renamed in 2016 to honor founders Dado and Maria Banatao. The institute operates across four UC campuses — Berkeley (headquarters), Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz — and functions as a multi-thrust research and innovation platform spanning aviation, climate, health, tech policy, robotics, nanotechnology, and AI. Its core technical assets include the Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory (a 15,000-square-foot Class 100/1000 cleanroom serving 100+ principal investigators and 500+ researchers), the CITRIS Invention Lab prototyping facility, and integrated testbeds such as Sierra-Net, XBOS building management, micro-PMU electric grid sensors, and the Berkeley Tree Database.

The institute commercializes research through the CITRIS Foundry deep-tech incubator (150+ entrepreneurs since 2013), a Seed Funding program ($60K per award, 245+ projects and 400+ researchers since 2008), the CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship (up to $200K over two years), and the Workforce Innovation Program. Revenue derives from state appropriations, philanthropic gifts (notably a $13.5M Sonsini commitment in 2025), corporate partnerships (Marvell, Siemens, TITAN Group, C2.ai DTI), event space rentals at Sutardja Dai Hall ($230–$1,586/day), and technology licensing. Customer segments span UC faculty and students (primary), corporate partners across semiconductors, biotech, industrial, and energy sectors, government agencies, healthcare providers (Livingston Community Health, senior living systems), and international research collaborators (TTRN Denmark, FAH-SYSU China).

Name

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute

Legal name

The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute

Website

https://citris-uc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute is a University of California multicampus research institute that creates information technology solutions for societal challenges, operating across UC Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz with research facilities, seed funding, startup incubation, and industry partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

Keywords

• University research institute
• Nanofabrication cleanroom services
• Deep tech startup incubator
• Research seed funding
• Academic technology partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Support and Donations: CITRIS accepts charitable donations through its general support fund, the Costas Spanos Endowment for semiconductor awards, and the CITRIS Foundry Fund. Major donors include Matt and Lisa Sonsini ($13.5 million commitment) for innovation fellowships.
2. Event Space Rental: Sutardja Dai Hall generates revenue through renting event spaces including the Banatao Auditorium (up to $1,586/day external), Kvamme Atrium ($904/day external), Room 250 ($429/day external), and Bechtel Boardroom ($969/day external) with 30% surcharge for non-UC groups.
3. Seed Funding Grants: CITRIS provides seed funding to researchers ($60K per award) to support proof-of-concept work, with the goal of enabling awardees to pursue larger federal, state, private, and philanthropic funding.
4. Industry Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate partners engage through sponsored research, event sponsorships, student sponsorships, and industry collaboration agreements. Examples include Siemens gift for STEM outreach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute is a University of California multicampus research center that operates research facilities (notably the Berkeley Marvell NanoLab), provides seed and innovation fellowship funding, runs a deep-tech startup incubator (CITRIS Foundry), and conducts interdisciplinary IT research across Aviation, Climate, Health, and Tech Policy. It also offers event space rentals, prototyping facilities (Invention Lab), student workforce programs, and tech-for-social-good funding.

Product overview

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute is a University of California research center that operates as a multi-campus innovation ecosystem rather than a single commercial product. The organization offers a portfolio of research facilities, funding programs, and incubators including the Berkeley Marvell NanoLab (15,000 sq ft cleanroom facility), CITRIS Foundry (deep tech startup incubator), CITRIS Seed Funding (research awards), CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship, CITRIS Invention Lab (prototyping space), Workforce Innovation Program, Tech for Social Good program, and Sutardja Dai Hall event spaces. Research initiatives span Aviation, Climate, Health, and Tech Policy. These offerings work together to shorten the pipeline from laboratory research to real-world applications, supporting entrepreneurs, students, and faculty across UC Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CITRIS Foundry: The University of California's deep tech innovation hub that helps UC entrepreneurs refine ideas, raise funding, and choose a market strategy. Since 2013, has helped more than 150 campus entrepreneurs launch technologies and companies.
• CITRIS Aviation
• CITRIS Climate
• CITRIS Health
• CITRIS Tech Policy
• Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory (NanoLab)
• CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship and AIC Awards
• CITRIS Seed Funding
• CITRIS Tech for Social Good
• CITRIS Workforce Innovation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 245+ research projects funded since 2008
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TITAN GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025TITAN Group partnered with CITRIS at UC Berkeley focused on digital innovation and applied research for the industrial sector. This partnership leverages CITRIS's research expertise and UC Berkeley's academic resources to address challenges in industrial technology development.
• SiemenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Siemens gift supporting University of California STEM outreach to underserved communities at UC Davis, UC Merced, and UC Santa Cruz. Supports aviation and robotics programs.
• Academic Innovation Catalyst (AIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AIC to run the CITRIS-CDSS Innovation Fellowship program offering five awards per year of up to $200,000 over two years to transform faculty research into viable commercial solutions for society's pressing challenges.
• UC Berkeley College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with CDSS to transform faculty research into scalable and high-impact solutions addressing society's most pressing challenges through the Innovation Fellowship program.
• C3.ai Digital Transformation InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with C3.ai DTI as part of CITRIS's connected centers network for digital transformation research.
• CITRIS Consortium for Advanced Aviation for Berkeley Space Center (C2A2)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry consortium supporting CITRIS Aviation program with research expertise across UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, and UC Santa Cruz for developing cutting-edge aviation technologies, applications and policies.
• MITRE CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in ACTIVATE project working with health care teams at Livingston Community Health to identify digital health barriers and co-create solutions.
• First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (FAH-SYSU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCITRIS Health in Asia collaboration on surgical robotics and health informatics, sharing solutions across borders.
• Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NERSC (National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center) as part of CITRIS's connected centers network for advanced computing resources.
• Transatlantic Telehealth Research Network (TTRN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork connecting U.S. and Danish researchers from multiple disciplines to exchange ideas and knowledge in telehealth research.
• UC Davis HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing medical expertise to bear on health technology challenges, including surgical robotics and telehealth research.
• UCSC Silicon Valley CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCITRIS at UC Santa Cruz + UCSC Silicon Valley campus focuses on network management, energy systems, and technology innovation with proximity to Silicon Valley industrial leaders.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Calit2 (California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology): A University of California multicampus research institute created by the same Governor Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation initiative that established CITRIS, focused on IT-enabled societal applications across UC San Diego, UC Irvine, and UCLA, with shared nanofabrication and translational research programs.
• UC QB3 (California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences): Another UC multicampus Governor Gray Davis institute focused on quantitative biology, providing shared research facilities, seed funding, and startup incubation across UC Berkeley, UCSF, and UC Santa Cruz—overlapping with CITRIS's seed funding model and incubator approach.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford HAI (Human-Centered AI Institute): Stanford University-affiliated AI research institute that combines interdisciplinary research, industry partnerships, and policy engagement—closely aligned with CITRIS Tech Policy and AI research initiatives across UC campuses.
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing: MIT's flagship institute for computing and AI research with seed funding, industry partnerships, and translational programs, providing a comparable interdisciplinary IT research model that pairs academic talent with commercial translation.
• Allen Institute for AI (AI2): Philanthropically funded non-profit AI research institute that conducts large-scale research and spins out startups—comparable to CITRIS's mission of translating academic research into societal and economic impact.
• Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI): University-affiliated, state-sponsored applied research organization with shared-use labs, sponsored research, and government-industry partnerships—analogous in operating model to CITRIS's multi-stakeholder research center structure.
• SRI International: Independent non-profit research institute that performs contract research across AI, biotech, robotics, and energy, generating spinouts and licensing revenue—a comparable translational research entity operating across multiple scientific domains.
• PARC (Xerox): Industry-affiliated research organization offering contract R&D, prototyping, and IP licensing to corporate and government clients—comparable in its commercialization pathways and applied research portfolio.

Emerging players

• NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERC program): NSF-funded multi-university engineering research centers with industry partnerships and translational programs—sharing the multi-campus, industry-sponsored research operating model CITRIS employs across UC campuses.

Regional players

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory co-located with UC Berkeley and already a CITRIS research partner (NERSC), operating shared user facilities and translational programs in energy, computing, and biosciences in California.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/citrisuc
• Facebookfacebook.com/citris
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/793091
• Instagraminstagram.com/citrisnews
• Xx.com/citrisnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CITRIS and the Banatao Institute