Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley

What Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley does

The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation is UC Berkeley's interdisciplinary hub for learning and making at the intersection of design and technology, operating as an academic unit within the College of Engineering from Jacobs Hall, a 24,000-square-foot facility opened in August 2015. Its product surface spans a professional graduate degree (Master of Design, a three-semester program focused on design for emerging technologies), an undergraduate Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation (BCDI), nearly 20 Design Innovation (DES INV) courses, the paid 10-week Berkeley Engineering Design Scholars summer research program (up to 8 undergraduates, $6,500 stipend), and the biannual Innovation Catalysts grant program offering Spark grants (up to $500) and Ignite grants (up to $2,000). Physical-making offerings include the Maker Pass (semesterly access to the makerspace at $63–$313 depending on tier), Jacobs Project Support (JPS) for fabrication services with status notifications, and Jacobs Self-Service Printing (remote access to the Ultimaker fleet via 3DPrinterOS).

The technical platform centers on a makerspace equipped with 3D printers (Ultimaker fleet), laser cutters, vinyl cutters, an Omax waterjet, a Tormach CNC, Kuka robots, a FabLight laser system, and a woodshop, supported by design specialists with backgrounds in robotics, electronics, and digital fabrication. The Institute is led by Faculty Director Eric Paulos, Executive Director William Humnicky, an Associate Director for Academic Matters, a Senior Technical Director, and an Executive Committee of approximately ten faculty members spanning EECS, Mechanical Engineering, Architecture, Materials Science, Landscape Architecture, and New Media.

The Institute serves UC Berkeley undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, and student clubs exclusively, with all access distributed through UC Berkeley's registrar, CalCentral billing, and campus communications. The operating model is funded primarily through College of Engineering allocations and private/industry philanthropy (donors include Deborah Weisser, Ben Gomes, the Eustace-Kwan Family Foundation, and Qualcomm founder Paul Jacobs as Board Chairman), with Maker Pass fees contributing less than 20% of the operating budget. Pricing is structured as low-friction semesterly subscriptions with need-based fee waivers of up to $25 in materials costs and full/partial Maker Pass waivers available to ensure access.

Name

Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley

Legal name

Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley

Website

https://jacobsinstitute.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation is UC Berkeley's interdisciplinary academic hub for learning and making at the intersection of design and technology. It serves UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff through a graduate degree, undergraduate certificate, ~20 design courses, paid research fellowships, student grants, and a 24,000-square-foot makerspace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Design Education

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Maker Education (Makerspaces, Coding Clubs, Robotics) (EDAAAFAL), 3D Printing, CAD & Digital Fabrication Programs (EDAMADAH), Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB), Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)

Keywords

• Design education programs
• Makerspace fabrication services
• Design innovation certificates
• Interdisciplinary design research
• University makerspace access

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Institution Funding: The Jacobs Institute is funded through UC Berkeley's College of Engineering with support from private and industry philanthropy. Maker Pass fees contribute less than 20% of the operating budget, with the majority of funding coming from private and industry sources.
2. Maker Pass Fees: Semesterly fees for makerspace access ranging from $125 per semester for Jacobs-affiliated students to $313 for research users. Club Maker Passes available at $63 per semester for student clubs.
3. Donor and Foundation Support: Grants and donations from individuals and foundations such as Deborah Weisser, Ben Gomes, and the Eustace-Kwan Family Foundation support programs including Innovation Catalysts and Berkeley Engineering Design Scholars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation is UC Berkeley's interdisciplinary hub at the intersection of design and technology, offering makerspace access (Maker Pass), graduate and certificate academic programs (MDes, BCDI), student grant funding (Innovation Catalysts, BEDS), and fabrication services (JPS, self-service 3D printing) to UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff. Its 24,000-square-foot Jacobs Hall facility houses prototyping and fabrication equipment supporting interdisciplinary design education, hands-on making, and student-led innovation projects.

Product overview

The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation is UC Berkeley's interdisciplinary hub for learning and making at the intersection of design and technology. It operates as a unified educational platform consisting of physical makerspace access (Maker Pass), academic degree and certificate programs (Master of Design, Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation), student grant programs (Innovation Catalysts, Berkeley Engineering Design Scholars), fabrication services (Jacobs Project Support, Self-Service Printing), and co-curricular offerings (DES INV courses, Workshops, Design Field Notes, Design Showcase). These offerings work together to provide comprehensive design education from discovery through proficiency to advancement, serving students across all disciplines at UC Berkeley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Berkeley Engineering Design Scholar Program (BEDS): A 10-week paid summer research program for undergraduate students focusing on design engineering research and mentorship.
• Innovation Catalysts Grant Program
• Master of Design (MDes)
• Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation (BCDI)
• Maker Pass
• Jacobs Project Support (JPS)

Products and services

• Maker Pass A point of entry to hands-on making in Jacobs Hall makerspaces, providing UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff access to workspaces, equipment, and drop-in use during extended access hours.
• Master of Design (MDes) A professional graduate program in design for emerging technologies that emphasizes critical design and social practice to address new realities of emerging technologies in the 21st century, set over three semesters.
• Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation (BCDI) An undergraduate certificate program that satisfies requirements through DES INV courses, offering yearly growth comparable to campus's most popular minors.
• Design Innovation Courses (DES INV) Nearly 20 Design Innovation courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, including entry points to design skills and project-based capstone experiences, taught alongside courses from supported departments.
• Innovation Catalysts Grant Program A student grant program offering two types of grants: Ignite grants (up to $2000 for in-progress projects with existing prototypes) and Spark grants (up to $500 for early-stage projects or ideas), awarded biannually.
• Berkeley Engineering Design Scholars Program (BEDS) A 10-week paid summer research program for undergraduates in the College of Engineering focused on providing research experience and mentorship in design engineering research with a commitment to advancing equity and inclusion.
• Jacobs Project Support (JPS) A project support service providing access to advanced fabrication technology including 3D printers, vinyl cutters, laser cutters, waterjet, and more, with a tiered priority system for campus community access.
• Jacobs Self-Service Printing (JSSP) A remote 3D printing service for campus affiliates providing access to Ultimaker 3D printer fleet through the 3DPrinterOS platform for academic work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation (BCDI) program has seen yearly growth with numbers comparable to many of campus' most popular minors

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): A leading standalone art and design college whose mission to integrate making, design, and technology overlaps with Jacobs but at a much larger scale and with degree-granting scope across many design disciplines.
• Harvard Graduate School of Design: Harvard's much larger professional school of design and architecture, overlapping with Jacobs in offering graduate design education and fabrication resources but at greater scale and with a broader architecture focus.

Direct peers

• MIT Media Lab: MIT's interdisciplinary research lab at the intersection of design, technology, and emerging media, comparable in mission and footprint to Jacobs as a faculty-led, cross-departmental design and prototyping environment.
• Georgia Tech Design Intelligence Lab: Georgia Tech's interdisciplinary lab combining design research, fabrication, and undergraduate/graduate design education, directly comparable to Jacobs' position inside a College of Engineering at a major public research university.
• Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design): Stanford's flagship interdisciplinary design institute, structurally analogous to Jacobs as a College of Engineering-anchored design innovation hub offering certificates, graduate-level design programs, and a maker-style fabrication space serving the entire university.
• Northwestern Segal Design Institute: Northwestern's interdisciplinary design institute offering certificates, makerspace-style fabrication resources, and design courses integrated across McCormick engineering and other schools, mirroring Jacobs' horizontal, cross-departmental model.
• Carnegie Mellon School of Design: CMU's professional school of design within a top engineering university, comparable to Jacobs in offering undergraduate and graduate design degrees tightly integrated with engineering and computer science at the same institution.

Others

• Autodesk (Autodesk University / Fusion for Education): Major CAD, CAM, and digital fabrication software vendor whose tools (Fusion360, etc.) are widely used in academic makerspaces like Jacobs; an enabler of the Jacobs curriculum and maker experience rather than a peer program.
• Fab Foundation: Operator of the global Fab Lab network that defines the makerspace standards Jacobs' facility (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC) follows; an ecosystem enabler whose standards and network shape how Jacobs positions its own maker offerings.
• Make Community (Maker Media): Media and community organization behind Make: Magazine and Maker Faire that cultivates the maker culture Jacobs' programs are designed to support; an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBerkeley
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacobsdesigncal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobs-institute-for-design-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley