UC San Diego Research

What UC San Diego Research does

UC San Diego Research is the operating designation for the University of California San Diego's Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), the administrative body that supports and promotes the university's $1.7+ billion research enterprise. Established in 1960 as part of the University of California system and headquartered in La Jolla, California, the office is led by Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Corinne Peek-Asa (joined 2022). ORI is composed of five primary service units — Sponsored Projects Office (SPO), Office of Innovation and Commercialization, Research Compliance and Integrity Office, Research Development, and Office of Research Affairs — supplemented by the Natural Reserve System, Visiting and Research Scholars program, and 15+ Organized Research Units (ORUs) including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, and Institute for Neural Computation.

The office's core product is research administration infrastructure: the Office of Contract and Grant Administration reviews and formally submits over $5 billion in proposals annually, resulting in award obligations exceeding $1 billion each year for 13 consecutive years. Technology transfer, patent processing, industry contracts, and startup acceleration are managed through the Office of Innovation and Commercialization. Compliance oversight spans conflict of interest, export control, IACUC, research ethics, and research misconduct. The underlying technology stack is a multidisciplinary research platform spanning climate science, national security, health, marine sciences, neuroscience, AI, and engineering.

UC San Diego Research generates revenue primarily through externally sponsored research funding from federal agencies (NIH, NSF, Office of Naval Research), the State of California, industry partners, and nonprofit sponsors. Total research funding reached a record $1.76 billion in 2023 and $1.73 billion in FY24. The organization serves UC San Diego faculty, postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, entrepreneurs, and industry partners. As a public state-supported institution governed by the Board of Regents of the University of California, it operates without commercial pricing models or equity investment, and is not a candidate for traditional VC/PE investment given its government entity status.

Name

UC San Diego Research

Legal name

Regents of the University of California

Website

https://research.ucsd.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UC San Diego Research is the university's Office of Research and Innovation, administering a $1.7B+ research enterprise by managing grants, contracts, compliance, and commercialization for faculty, students, and federal/state/industry sponsors across 100+ research centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Research Administration

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Flagship Public Research Universities (R1/R2) (EDAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC), Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE), Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

Keywords

• University research services
• Research administration
• Sponsored research management
• Technology commercialization
• Research compliance services

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: The university generates revenue primarily through external research grants and funding from federal agencies (NIH, NSF, Office of Naval Research), state government, and industry sponsors. UC San Diego has received over $1 billion in research funding for 13 consecutive years, with $1.76 billion in 2023 and $1.73B in FY24.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UC San Diego Research, operating as the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), is a public university research administration that supports and oversees UC San Diego's sponsored research portfolio of $1.7+ billion annually. It operates research support units for proposal review and award administration (Sponsored Projects Office, Office of Contract and Grant Administration), technology transfer and commercialization (Office of Innovation and Commercialization), research ethics and compliance (Research Compliance and Integrity Office, Human Research Protections Program, Research Ethics Program), faculty research proposal support (Research Development), and field research infrastructure (Natural Reserve System). The ORI also coordinates 100+ Organized Research Units, including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, and the Institute for Neural Computation, executing funded research across climate science, national security, health, neuroscience, marine sciences, and engineering.

Product overview

UC San Diego Office of Research and Innovation is a comprehensive research administration providing multiple interconnected services and support units. The core services include the Sponsored Projects Office for proposal and award management, Office of Innovation and Commercialization for technology transfer and patents, Research Compliance and Integrity Office for ethics and regulatory oversight, Research Development for funding support, and Office of Research Affairs for operational management. These are complemented by the Natural Reserve System for field research and 15+ Organized Research Units (ORUs) spanning disciplines from circadian biology and neural computation to marine biotechnology and planetary physics. The organization supports a $1.76 billion research portfolio across general campus, health sciences, and marine sciences divisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) Reviews sponsored research proposals, manages award negotiation, and provides non-financial post-award services for externally funded research projects.
• Office of Innovation and Commercialization Supports technology transfer, patent processing, strategic corporate research partnering, industry contracts, and startup acceleration for UC San Diego inventions.
• Research Compliance and Integrity Office Facilitates responsible research, innovation, and education for global excellence through oversight of conflict of interest, export control, IACUC, research ethics, and research misconduct.
• Research Development Helps UC San Diego faculty identify funding opportunities and craft competitive research proposals, operating for over a decade.
• Office of Research Affairs Provides wide-ranging support services including oversight of Organized Research Units and research support units across UC San Diego.
• Natural Reserve System University-wide system providing field research sites and facilities for environmental and ecological research.
• Center for Circadian Biology Organized Research Unit fostering innovative research on biological rhythms mechanisms, general principles, and applications in diverse organisms.
• Center for Comparative Immigration Studies The only U.S. academic center specializing in international migration from broad geographical and interdisciplinary perspectives.
• Center for Energy Research Creates solutions for energy supply, distribution, and utilization challenges through interdisciplinary research and education.
• Center for Human Development Provides resources for research on human development and promotes intellectual exchange among developmental scholars.
• Center for Memory and Recording Research Advances scientific knowledge and engineering technology for high-performing, reliable, and secure information storage systems.
• Institute of Engineering in Medicine Translates creative ideas into clinical medicine and novel products to transform patient care and improve health outcomes.
• Institute for Neural Computation Conducts R&D for next-generation massive parallel computers spanning neuroscience, AI, mathematics, economics, and computer engineering.
• Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind Supports research into human cognition evolution and mechanisms, from brain physical machinery to mind experiences and behaviors.
• Glycobiology Research and Training Center Facilitates research, training, and collaboration on molecular and cellular biology of glycans and their roles in health and disease.
• Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine Research division dedicated to exploration of novel and diverse ocean resources for marine biotechnology and biomedicine applications.
• Climate, Atmospheric Science and Physical Oceanography Research Engages in research on physical ocean-atmosphere system dynamics.
• Geosciences Research Division Covers atmospheric, marine, and solid Earth sciences through modeling, laboratory experiments, and field expeditions.
• Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Promotes basic research on the structure, origin, and evolution of the solar system and its planets.
• Integrative Oceanography Division Conducts field work, laboratory experimentation, and computer modeling to understand complex ocean system dynamics.
• Marine Biology Research Division Research laboratories in cell and developmental biology, ecology and evolutionary biology, microbiology, and physiology of marine organisms.
• Marine Physical Laboratory Multidisciplinary program of sponsored exploratory and technology-based oceanographic research and scientific development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion in research funding annually for 13+ consecutive years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Industry PartnerscoreOthersUC San Diego's Office of Contract and Grant Administration manages sponsored research collaborations with for-profit industry partners. OCGA handles industry contracts, service agreements, and material transfer agreements (MTAs) for industry-sponsored research.
• Kavli Institute for Brain and MindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute focused on understanding human cognition from brain mechanisms to behaviors and experiences, supported through Organized Research Unit infrastructure.
• Scripps Institution of OceanographycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor research division including multiple specialized research units covering marine biotechnology, climate science, geosciences, geophysics, oceanography, and marine biology. Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences has primary oversight.
• Institute for Neural ComputationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D institute conducting research for massive parallel computers spanning neuroscience, AI, mathematics, economics and computer engineering.
• Institute of Engineering in MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTranslates creative ideas into clinical medicine and novel products to transform patient care and improve health outcomes.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford University Office of Research: Stanford's central research administration oversees sponsored projects, compliance, and technology transfer for an R1 research university with similar scale and federal-grant-driven funding model.
• MIT Office of the Vice President for Research: MIT's research office administers sponsored research, compliance, and innovation activities for a top-tier R1 institution with comparable federal funding intensity and commercialization focus.
• UCLA Research: UCLA's Office of Research is a direct UC-system counterpart managing sponsored projects, compliance, and tech transfer for a peer public research university within the same governing structure.
• UC Berkeley Research: UC Berkeley's research enterprise is a direct peer within the UC system, with parallel structure for sponsored research administration and similar $1B+ funding scale.
• UCSF Office of Research: UCSF's research office is a UC-system health sciences peer that manages biomedical and clinical research administration, IRB, and innovation with comparable NIH-driven funding profile.
• Johns Hopkins University Research: Johns Hopkins' research administration is a top R1 university peer with industry-leading federal research funding and comparable scale across biomedical, physical sciences, and engineering.
• University of Washington Office of Research: University of Washington's research enterprise is a direct public R1 peer with similar federal grant funding profile and health-sciences-adjacent portfolio.
• Caltech Office of the Provost (Research): Caltech's research administration is a direct R1 peer with comparable federal grant dependence and a strong physical sciences and engineering research footprint.
• Cornell University Research and Innovation: Cornell's research office is a direct R1 peer administering sponsored projects and commercialization for a multi-disciplinary federally funded research portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Salk is a La Jolla-based non-profit biomedical research institute with deep ties to UCSD Research (Paul Roben previously served there). Comparable NIH-funded biomedical research mission and geographic ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/researchUCSD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-diego-research
• Facebookfacebook.com/ResearchUCSD

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC San Diego Research