History

The History of CITRIS: A Campaign to Re-engineer Engineering

By the late 1990s, engineers within the UC system realized that the real opportunities for impact in research lay not just in developing new and innovative technologies, but in applying these technologies to areas of society where they were most likely to improve people's quality of life.

This recognition coincided with a call for proposals from the Governor of California and UC's Office of the President for a new set of institutes'the California Institutes of Science and Innovation (Cal-ISIs). Berkeley Engineering professors James Demmel, Richard Newton and other key faculty members (with the support of more than 150 faculty members from the four campuses) proposed a multi-disciplinary research institute that would, literally, use information technology research in the interest of society.

CITRIS is currently focused on the creation of centers in healthcare delivery, intelligent infrastructures (including energy, the environment, and transportation), and services'economic activity that encompasses the breadth of jobs from beauticians and custodians to management consultants, accountants, physicians, and entertainers.

CITRIS has built a foundation that can support and deliver long-term sustainable growth. In the coming years, the focus will be on seeding new research, expanding industry partnerships, developing and strengthening its physical and cyber infrastructures, and increasing its collaboration efforts.