Date: Mar 11, 2015 Author: Gary Robbins Source: (
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Saudi Arabia is giving UC San Diego $2 million to conduct basic research on 5G and other wireless telecommunications technologies that could eventually lead to much faster smartphones and similar devices.
The grant represents a deepening of relations between the school and the Saudis, who earlier gave the university $3 million for its leading-edge knowledge in areas such as virtual reality and visualization.
The new contract comes from Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, an organization that promotes science and technology across that country.
"We have had a lot of expertise in the areas where they're seeking help," said Ramesh Rao, director of the UC San Diego division of Calit2, a technology test bed.
The latest grant could be followed by a series of additional technology grants in the coming years. Saudi Arabia has invested deeply in American universities, and there are currently tens of thousands of Saudi students studying in the United States.
The new $2 million grant is part of the hundreds of millions of dollars that UC San Diego received in December and January from government sources and industry. Here's a sampling of the nongovernment contributions:
• Progenity: $1.2 million for clinical trials of a blood-gene-expression diagnostic test that would gauge the risk of autism in infants and toddlers.
• Alzheimer's Association: $1,732,500 to evaluate the risk and impact of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease.
• AnGes MG: $737,050 for preclinical research of AMG0101, an experimental treatment for degenerative disc disease.
• Inventiv Health: $669,155 to study potential treatments for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
• Merck & Co.: $557,374 for a Phase III clinical trial of MK-3475, which will be compared to standard treatments for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.
• Medpace: $496,194 to study the drug Cenionviroc for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in adults with liver fibrosis.
• Novartis Pharmaceuticals: $480,952 for a Phase I clinical trial of a kinase inhibitor to treat adults with advanced solid tumors.
• Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Research: $164,700 for research of RO5186582, a drug designed to treat Down syndrome.
• Maxentric Technologies: $150,018 for research on wireless broadband technology.
• Abbvie: $137,340 for analysis of ABT-199, a drug being developed to treat leukemia.
• Samsung Electronics: $130,443 for research on a wearable biosensor that would monitor health and human performance.
• Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology: $100,000 for research of 5G wireless network.
• Questcor Pharmaceuticals, $47,245, to study safety of a gel used to treat patients with lupus nephritis.
• Toshiba Medical Research Institute: $50,224 for studying how to improve ultrasounds for patients with chronic liver disease.
• Johnson & Johnson: $45,000 for research on the inflammatory cytokines — or cell-signaling molecules — in patients who have an adverse reaction to metal-on-metal hip replacements.
