Economic Development

UC Merced Achieves R1: Highest Tier of Research Classification

February 13, 2025

UC Merced has assumed its place in the top echelon of research institutions in the nation by earning R1 status from Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The announcement was made Thursday morning by the American Council on Education and comes less than 20 years after the...

View from the Pavilion of Academic Walk and Little Lake

Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy

The Merced 2020 Project, which added 13 facilities to UC Merced’s campus and nearly doubled its square footage, has so far contributed $510.9 million to the regional economy through...

Merced to Market Event to Help Students, Faculty Bring Inventions to the World

The Office of Research and Economic Development at UC Merced is hosting its inaugural conference on entrepreneurship and innovation, called Merced to Market. The April 7 conference, being held...

Campus Researchers, State Leaders Talk Secure Water Future for the Valley

Last year, UC Merced received the largest research grant in its history. The $10 million Secure Water Future (SWF) award, led by Professor Joshua Viers in cooperation with other UC campuses and other...

Director of Pre-Law Studies to Tackle Racism at Sacramento City Unified School District

UC Merced’s Director of Pre-Law Studies Mark Harris is taking on a new position to help address racism at Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). Officials for the school district...

Students show off one of their projects for Innovate the Grow audiences.

Register Ahead for Fall Innovate to Grow; Event Highlights Experiential Learning

More than 40 student teams from the School of Engineering will show off the projects they’ve been designing and assembling for community partners — from data analysis and food processing...

A machine developed in Professor Reza Ehsani's lab improves almond harvests by reducing the amount of dust stirred up as the nuts are gathered from the ground.

New AI Institute Expands UC Merced’s Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Effort

With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of...

New Partnership Offers Training for Valley Entrepreneurs

Early-stage entrepreneurs can learn how to build their businesses alongside a support network of startup and business experts through a new joint venture of the Founder Institute and UC Merced....

New Engineering Research Center to Focus on Agriculture Technology

By 2050, the U.S. population is estimated to grow to 400 million, and the world population to 9.1 billion, requiring a 70 percent increase in global food production. UC Merced is one of four...

Zatz Aiming for R1 Status as Interim Head of Research, Economic Development

Graduate Dean Marjorie Zatz has a new title, at least for now. Starting this summer, she is serving as interim vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development, filling the slot left open when...