The CITRIS Seed Funding program issues short-term, targeted awards to further the institute's research priorities for societal benefit, catalyze early results that can lead to significant funding and strengthen connections across UC campuses. Proposals are invited from principal investigators at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz. Awardees embody the university's public mission and the innovative spirit of California. This year, up to 12 CITRIS Seed Awards will be chosen to address "grand challenges" in information technology. Each winning proposal receives $40,000–$60,000 and engagement with the CITRIS research community during the Jan. 1–Dec.