$3M Gift to UC San Diego Celebrates Entrepreneurship Efforts at the Jacobs School of Engineering

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• Daniel Kane- [email protected]

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San Diego-based business leader and philanthropist Aiiso Yufeng Li (Jeff) and his wife DongDong Li (Doreen) have made a new $3M gift to the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The gift celebrates the Jacobs School's ongoing efforts to empower researchers to translate their innovations to the marketplace.

In recognition of the donation to the Jacobs School, a physical space on the first floor of UC San Diego's Franklin Antonio Hall that is currently programmed to support entrepreneurs has been named the Aiiso AL21 Space.

This prime spot within Franklin Antonio Hall is currently home to the UC San Diego Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (IGE) - an institute that empowers engineers, computer scientists and other innovators to advance discoveries from the lab to the marketplace. The institute is a collaboration between the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and Rady School of Management.

"We are so grateful to Jeff and Doreen for their sustained support of the Jacobs School of Engineering," said Albert P. Pisano, the Dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and Special Adviser to the Chancellor. "Jeff, Doreen and I share a passion for advancing healthcare technology for the public good. Moving health-related innovations into the marketplace requires sustained effort, and I feel fortunate that Jeff and Doreen have decided to shine a light on the importance of entrepreneurship, mentorship, education and support through this new gift."

UC San Diego stands out as a campus that is dedicated to successfully nurturing startups, offering educational and mentorship programs for researchers to help them move their discoveries to the marketplace.

"For entrepreneurs to be successful, they must keep learning," said Li. "I see the Aiiso AL21 Space as a place where entrepreneurs are inspired to learn new things, a place where entrepreneurs meet each other, a place where entrepreneurs brainstorm and learn from each other."

AL21 refers to Li's company of the same name, which is the parent company of CorDX, a global biotech company and leader in the inventing and manufacturing of in vitro diagnostics. The letters "A" and "L" in AL21 refer to "Aiiso" and "Li" and 21 is Li's auspicious number.

Reflecting on what kinds of advice Li might give aspiring entrepreneurs, Li leaned into the human side of entrepreneurship, saying, "Not everyday is a win, but you have to enjoy the progress you make each day, each week. You must enjoy the successes as they come, even if the successes feel small at the beginning. Happiness is an important part of being a successful entrepreneur."

Maximizing the circulation of people and ideas

Through shared research labs called collaboratories, research teams with different yet complementary research interests work shoulder to shoulder in Franklin Antonio Hall. At the same time, hands-on education spaces inspire undergraduates, and the entrepreneurship institute on the first floor serves as a resource to help researchers all across the Jacobs School and beyond commercialize their innovations.

"We designed and programmed Franklin Antonio Hall to maximize the circulation of people and ideas - and I am both grateful and thrilled that the Li family is motivated not only to join this circulation, but also to help us drive it," said Pisano.

Funds from the gift were designated to support areas including empowering the IGE to provide resources, guidance and assistance to innovators and entrepreneurs in order to help them bring their innovations to the marketplace. Support from the IGE has been critical in launching many startups including Persperion, which is commercializing a noninvasive sweat-based glucose test, and Limber Prosthetics and Orthotics, which developed the world's first single piece, 3D printed, below-the-knee prosthetic limb.

"This gift is another powerful affirmation of our vision for Franklin Antonio Hall," said Pisano. "From the beginning, we set out to create a national model for how to design, launch and program a new engineering building dedicated to cross-disciplinary research, hands-on education, and transfer of innovation to society for the public good. In just two years, we are seeing important wins on all fronts. I am deeply grateful to Jeff and Doreen, and to everyone who has stepped up to make Franklin Antonio Hall a success."

A tradition of philanthropy

With more than $29 million in philanthropic support to the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering since 2021, the generosity of the Li family is breathtaking. Gifts have included a $21 million department naming gift from the Li family, leading to the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering; a $2.1 million gift to support chemical and nano engineering research, education, and student and other departmental activities; and a $3 million donation to boost the Jacobs School's Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC). In addition, Li donated $210,000 in seed funding to the UC San Diego Department of Bioengineering in 2021. The gift played a key role in building momentum for the department, which was later renamed the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering thanks to a generous gift from Gene Lay. The seed funding is also helping to unlock additional resources to upgrade hands-on bioengineering teaching laboratories.

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