Fall 2025 Startup Demo Day brings together UCSC’s most promising student founders for an evening of live pitches, innovation, and community. Hosted by CIED, Startup Club, Pie Fi, and Santa Cruz Works, the event showcases 10–12 emerging ventures, networking, food, and fresh ideas.

A tiny Santa Cruz startup, Light Links, is replacing Wi-Fi with invisible laser-based wireless. After joining Santa Cruz Launchpad, then Santa Cruz Accelerates, Light Links landed Wayne Fenton as president, and secured a multi-million-dollar contract. The company is now shaping the future of robotics and ultra-fast connectivity.

UC Santa Cruz’s Karen Miga helped unlock the final 8% of our DNA, transforming research on health and human evolution.

With NSF support, UCSC’s Jenny Reardon will study how scientists and ethicists collaborate to guide responsible innovation in genomics, neuroscience, and AI.

UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor Alexander Ioannidis is uncovering how genome variation shapes disease risk, drug response, and ancestral history.

UC Santa Cruz scientists Benedict Paten and Karen Miga lead breakthroughs in computational genomics, using AI and algorithms to decode genomes, advancing understanding of cancer, rare diseases, and dementias.

UC Santa Cruz’s 2024 Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards celebrate groundbreaking research and community-driven change. From sustainable AI to youth empowerment and personalized medicine, these honorees exemplify innovation with purpose. Watch their inspiring stories—and remember, in 2022, Santa Cruz Works proudly received the Community Changemaker Award for Transformative Impact.

UCSC’s iconic blue whale skeleton, Ms. Blue, is undergoing a sustainable restoration using innovative materials and technology.

EcoViz, co-developed by UCSC’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience, uses advanced visualization to help communities and policymakers tackle climate change and natural disasters.

UCSC's CIED was honored with the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award at the 2024 GCEC Conference, recognizing its leadership in innovation and education.

UCSC’s iGEM team earned silver at the iGEM Jamboree in Paris for tackling infant formula shortages with innovative cyanobacteria technology.

Six university research projects have been awarded up to $50,000 by UCSC’s Genomics Institute.

UCSC Professor Sikina Jinnah co-authored a national report regarding methane removal technologies to mitigate global warming.

In September 2024, two UCSC professors were awarded nearly $2 million in funding for their projects centered around climate change.

Curious about the future of design? Join us at Design Tech on Wednesday, September 11 for a jam packet event featuring renowned Santa Cruz firms.

UC Santa Cruz receives over $2M for education and training programs as part of a $71.1M federal grant to the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation and local partners.

The Graduate Division invites members of the Santa Cruz community to judge symposium presentations. The judging time commitment is 12:30-3:30 p.m. Judging is fun and easy and supports the UCSC graduate students who participate!.

From genomics to climate resilience and energy sustainability, here are the top UCSC research projects making waves in 2024.

The Quarry Amphitheater at UCSC hosts an exclusive screening of Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" on May 18, celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special Q&A, in a collaboration with Noise Pop Industries. The event supports Second Harvest Food Bank, offering a unique outdoor cinema experience.

Chancellor “Cindy” Larive outlines UC Santa Cruz's strategic adoption of AI across research, education, and administration, emphasizing ethical considerations. She highlights the university's integration of AI into teaching, the optimization of operations, and the expansion of student opportunities, while addressing academic integrity issues.