The Tech for Social Good (TSG) program, which funds student research projects and events on the UC Santa Cruz campus, is now accepting applications for 2020-21. Started in 2019 by CITRIS and the Banatao Institute in partnership with the Institute for Social Transformation, the program funded four projects and two events in its first year. The deadline for applications for 2020-21 is November 16.
Information and matchmaking sessions for students, as well as for staff and faculty working with students who may be interested, will be held via Zoom on the following dates:
- Thursday, October 15, from 9 to 10 a.m. (RSVP at https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtfuChqD0qH9TuJm0MAUgGr-hKMpub3w2o)
- Wednesday, October 21, from 3 to 4 p.m. (RSVP at https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrfuqhrDsoHt2iOrnI1mmfZlTDtGYKK-E8)
- Thursday, October 22, from 12 to 1 p.m. (RSVP at https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwodO-hqD4vHdF-VGuFSpl9NymfdzZBsBjw)
The information sessions will walk students through the application process and also provide an opportunity for them to pitch their project and event ideas in order to connect with other students interested in working on the idea. Anyone interested in solving societal challenges, whether they have an idea or not, is encouraged to attend.
The Tech for Social Good program is open to teams of undergraduate students and mixed teams of graduate and undergraduate students (but not teams of graduate students only). It has two competitive tracks:
- Technology Development Track: Students can apply for funding of $500 to $5,000 for tech-focused projects that promote social good by supporting healthy, sustainable, prosperous, and equitable livelihoods in the United States and abroad.
- Events & Programming Track: UC Santa Cruz individual students, student organizations, or student groups can apply for funding of $200 to $1,000 to develop events or programming that improve and support technological innovations that support healthy, sustainable, and connected communities.
The Technology track is open to a wide range of projects, from hardware or software solutions addressing a societal challenge to projects that bring an innovative use of a technology (such as a website, social media, or data application) to explore a solution. The Events track is also open to diverse programming, from an actual tech event, like a hackathon, to speakers addressing tech issues or club meetings that explore some element of technology’s impact on our lives.
Examples of previously funded projects at UCSC and other UC campuses can be found at the following sites:
- https://citris.sites.ucsc.edu/funded-projects-and-events/
- https://davis.techsocialgood.org/funded-projects/
- https://berkeley.techsocialgood.org/fundedprojects/
For any questions about specific project ideas or the program in general, please contact Michael Matkin, CITRIS UCSC Assistant Director, at mmatkin@ucsc.edu.
