BSAC is proposing a Phase III support (third five-year period) for the Center, including support for central personnel, evaluation and research. The lead of the proposed Center will be the University of California-Berkeley (UC-B) with a site at the University of California, Davis (UC-D).
BSAC was established in 1986, and is currently a self-sustaining Center that continues to operate under the IUCRC model. Since its founding, BSAC has been devoted to research on sensors and miniature moving mechanical elements or MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems). The quality and impact of prior BASC research in MEMS is well known and acknowledged internationally. The research team at the Center is led by more than a dozen UC-B/UC-D faculty representing current thought leaders in MEMS as well as fast-track young faculty. The goals of BSAC include: creating a leadership Microsystems research environment, enhancing the educational experience of its graduate students, and reducing the time to commercialization of BSAC research via systematic progress in multiple phases of new technology formation.
The proposal includes emphasis on a number of laudable academic objectives. The I/UCRC research program is highly complementary to the MEMS academic focus at UC Berkeley. Weekly seminars facilitate intergroup connections. Technology transfer is well-addressed in the proposal, and the proposal references 25 start up companies that are stated to be tracked on the BSAC web site. Through the Phase III award, BSAC intends to lead a new phase of fundamental and innovation research in materials, processes, components, and systems leading to new technology-enabled business development.
