
Research from world class faculty
Industry practitioners that work with UCLA Samueli gain a competitive advantage.. Our faculty are responsive, innovative, and talented. UCLA Samueli is home to state-of-the-art laboratories and world renown centers. Partner companies often call upon academic resources to advance their work on- and off- campus. The industry/academic partnership is supported through both sponsored projects and gifts.
Sponsored projects
These are customized research engagements with one or more researchers. These engagements often begin with a meeting or campus visit where the company identifies a researcher (or researchers) with whom it would like to work. If there is mutual interest in a project, the researcher may submit a short proposal to the company for review. If the company is interested, its representatives work with the researcher to develop a detailed plan that covers the scope, schedule and budget for the project. This plan is then sent to the UCLA’s Technology Development Group, which works with the company to negotiate a formal legal agreement covering the project. The agreement typically includes project milestones and deliverables as well as intellectual property and other contract terms. Industry-sponsored projects are subject to indirect costs at the same level that applies to federal grants. The cost for a sponsored project varies depending on the scope. Most researchers like to get at least enough funding to support a graduate student for one year, which is approximately $70,000 annually, and does not include costs for faculty time, equipment, materials or travel.
Gifts
Some companies support UCLA Samueli research through gifts to departments, labs or programs doing work that is of company interest. Like sponsored projects, companies often identify areas they would like to support through hosted campus visits. Once the donor has decided on a recipient and an amount, then our team will work with the company to put together an agreement to document the gift.
Since a gift is philanthropic, there are no contracted deliverables or intellectual property access. The campus does not assess indirect costs for gift support, although all gifts are assessed a small administrative fee. The gift is tax-deductible. Companies may also provide gift support to the university through in-kind donations of equipment or software. In-kind donations may be tax-deductible, but the company must develop its own assessment of the value of its gift for tax purposes.
Get to Know Our Faculty
Faculty and researchers work at the forefront of their respective fields. Want to keep up with the exciting advancements happening in their labs? Check out Headlines and sign up to receive the monthly newsletter highlighting faculty research.
Learn more about our faculty with our expertise guide.
Contact Us
Helen Magid
Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
310.825.3979
hmagid@support.ucla.edu
News
UCLA Breakthrough Extends Fuel Cell Lifespan Beyond 200,000 Hours, Paving the Way for Clean Long-Haul Trucking
For trucks and heavy-duty vehicles that must travel long distances without frequent, time-consuming charging stops, batteries often fall short. Hydrogen fuel cells — which can be refueled
Bursting your bubble: Chewing gum releases microplastics into your saliva, UCLA research shows
Many of us don’t think twice about casually popping a stick of gum in our mouth. But chew on this: When you do, you’re also chomping on, and possibly ingesting, hundreds, if not thousands, of microplastic particles,
UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineer Mona Jarrahi Named Guggenheim Fellow
Electrical and computer engineering professor Mona Jarrahi from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has been named a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow.
UCLA Bioengineer Jun Chen Awarded Top Honor for Early-Career Scientist in Materials Research
Jun Chen, an associate professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Early-Career Investigator Award by the Materials Research Society
UCLA Computer Scientist Raghu Meka Receives IEEE Computational Breakthrough Award
Raghu Meka, an associate professor of computer science at the UCLA Samueli School of engineering, has received the 2025 W. Wallace McDowell Award
Does Cell Nucleus Size Matter in Gene Activity? Researchers Say Yes
A group of UCLA researchers has discovered that the size of a cell, especially its nucleus that holds the DNA can determine which genes are turned on or off.