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2026 Startup of the Year Guidelines and Eligibility

Chancellor's Innovation Awards 2026

Startup of the Year

UC San Diego’s innovators play an essential role in translating ideas into actions to improve the lives of others and address the grand challenges of our global society. The UC San Diego Chancellor’s Innovation Awards recognizes truly exceptional innovators - faculty, students and recent alumni - for their success in launching new startup companies or other entities, or in developing technologies, social platforms or other social innovations through their research, program participation or activities across campus. The Chancellor’s Innovation Awards recognize and celebrate the uniquely Triton innovative culture and entrepreneurial spirit that have become defining hallmarks of UC San Diego.

The Startup of the Year award recognizes a startup venture founded by a UC San Diego faculty member whose innovative startup has either made a measurable societal impact in the last year or exhibits great potential to make a significant societal impact in the near-term future.

Review Criteria

Consider to what degree the Startup has;

  • Created novel intellectual property (IP), preferably which UC San Diego licensed to their startup.
  • Produced a breakthrough innovation as opposed to having made improvements to existing innovative technologies, products or services
  • Achieved recognition of value through private investment, revenue and customer adoption
  • Demonstrated capacity to produce return on investment (ROI) based on their goals
  • Understood the competitive landscape and marketed/differentiated itself effectively
  • Demonstrated commitment to UC San Diego’s Mission and Vision 

This award is open to Startups established by faculty, students, and staff from all academic majors, disciplines, or departments and who are in good academic and/or professional standing. The Startup must have created novel intellectual property that is managed by or licensed from UC San Diego.

Cash Prize

The Startup of the Year Award comes with a cash prize of $50,000 awarded to the winning Startup after selection by the Chancellor and the IEC Chancellor’s Innovation Awards Selection Committee.

Review Process

The Chancellor’s Innovation Awards Selection Committee members will independently review and score each Applicant based on an objective scoring rubric designed to evaluate the uniqueness of the innovation(s) and their potential economic and societal impact. The scoring rubric will include the criteria above, along with any additional metrics established by the IEC or Awards Committee.

Who May Apply and Requirements

  • Any member of the Triton community that meets the qualifications may apply
  • A Startup of the Year Applicant must Identify a professional reference (who may or may not be contacted if deemed necessary by the committee) with ties to UC San Diego, as indicated - a Dean, Director of an Innovation Center, Member of the IDEAS Council, or Council of Innovation Leadership.
  • Applicants must submit a 2-minute introductory video that illuminates the novelty of their solution, the impact of the Startup, and why they are the best team to make it happen.  Please see the Video Submission Guidelines.
  • Past award recipients are not eligible for the program. Past Applicants who did not receive an award may reapply. 
  • Applicants do not need to exemplify all criteria. Applicants can focus on one or more than one of the key selection criteria. 
  • All application material and content must be non-confidential in nature.

Glossary

Return on Investment (ROI): a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment or compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. ROI tries to directly measure the amount of return on a particular investment, relative to the investment’s cost. To calculate ROI, the benefit (or return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment. The result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio. 

Breakthrough Innovation: based on new technologies or new ways of thinking and have a major  or major potential impact on society. They are often disruptive to existing industries, ecosystems, or cultures - fundamentally changing the dynamics of a given market

Intellectual Property (IP): refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright, and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish. Types of IP include patents, copyright, and trademarks, trade secrets, geographic locations, and industrial designs. 

Entity: An independent legal structure (e.g. C Corporation) that exists separately from the founder’s personal assets.