Bakar Award (formerly Spark Award)

Bakar Award

Funds UC Berkeley STEM faculty moving research discoveries toward commercially viable products and services.

The Bakar Award is a three-year faculty fellowship administered by the Bakar Fellows Program at UC Berkeley, funded by the Bakar Family Foundation. Awards provide $100,000 per year per principal investigator for three years, totalling $300,000, to UC Berkeley academic senate faculty whose research has commercial translation potential across engineering, computer science, chemistry, biological sciences, physical sciences, and architecture. Up to eight solo or joint Berkeley awards are made per annual cycle, along with up to three UC Berkeley–UCSF collaborative awards and up to two AIC-Bakar Awards focused on climate. The 2025 cycle finalist presentations were held on June 2 and June 5, 2025; the 2026 cycle is expected to open in early 2026.

Eligibility is restricted to UC Berkeley academic senate faculty; external companies, nonprofits, and individuals are not eligible. Previous Bakar Fellows may reapply provided their prior project is fully completed with no outstanding balances, all reports submitted, demonstrated active event participation, and evidence of IP activity such as filings, licensing, or publications — and a wholly new and distinct project must be proposed. Award funds may not cover faculty salaries, stipends, or teaching relief; equipment purchases over $10,000 require additional budget justification; and no institutional overhead is required. UCSF faculty are eligible under the collaborative track only when partnering with a currently funded Berkeley fellow from specified cohorts.

The application package comprises a three-page project proposal (1,000-word maximum including figures and references), a two-page CV, and a brief budget. Review follows a two-phase process: initial written submissions are screened, and finalists present to the programme's Advisory Board. To maximise competitiveness, proposals should articulate a clear commercialisation pathway, identify specific IP or startup formation milestones enabled by the award, and demonstrate why the three-year window is the critical intervention point for the technology. Contact for enquiries: bakarfellows@berkeley.edu.