Campus News
CITRIS Tech for Social Good Program: Student funding open for project and event proposals
Student teams can receive up to $5,000 for research projects and up to $1,000 for events. The program is open to students across all campus disciplines and divisions.
The 2026–2027 CITRIS Tech for Social Good program at UC Santa Cruz is now accepting proposals. The program provides support for cross-disciplinary student projects and events focused on exploring technology-based solutions to significant social challenges. Student teams can receive up to $5,000 for research projects and up to $1,000 for events. The program is open to students across all campus disciplines and divisions.
Technology Development Track proposals are due by November 15, 2026, and Events Track proposals are considered on a rolling basis through May 1, 2027.
Information and matchmaking sessions for students will be held via Zoom on the following days:
- Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM – register for this info session.
- Monday, October 19, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM – register for this info session.
Applications are open to teams of graduate and undergraduate students, provided that each team includes an equal or greater number of undergraduates (teams consisting solely of graduate students are not eligible). Through the technology track, students can apply for funding between $500 and $5,000 for tech-focused projects that promote social good by supporting healthy, sustainable, prosperous, and equitable livelihoods in the United States and abroad.
The events track provides between $200 and $1,000 for individual students, student organizations, or student groups at UC Santa Cruz to host events or programming that foster technological innovations supporting healthy, sustainable, and connected communities.
To apply and learn more about previously funded teams, visit the program website.
The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute create information technology solutions for society’s most pressing challenges. Established in 2001, the center leverages the interdisciplinary research strengths of multiple UC campuses – Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz – along with public and private partners, to advance the University of California’s mission and the innovative spirit of California. The institute was created to shorten the pipeline between world-class laboratory research and the development of cutting-edge applications, platforms, companies, and even new industries. Find out more at CITRIS.UCSC.edu and CITRIS-UC.org.