Karma Automotive drives forward climate innovation with UC Irvine’s RADiCal initiative
The union underscores deepening connection between the university and industry
IRVINE, CALIF. (Jan. 25, 2024) – UC Irvine’s Resilience and Adaptation Development in California (RADiCal) initiative, which deepens university-industry engagement to drive innovation and answer climate challenges, has entered a strategic partnership with Karma Automotive. Irvine-based Karma’s involvement in RADiCal demonstrates how UC Irvine is collaborating with industry partners for the climate action initiative.
RADiCal, administered through UC Irvine’s Beall Applied Innovation, allows Karma to have early looks into climate research and utilize the expertise of a diverse, multidisciplinary team across sustainable practices at UC Irvine. It aligns Karma with strategic commercialization opportunities, including early-stage funding, and places the company within a network committed to climate action, sustainability and social innovation. The partnership empowers Karma to influence and lead transformations within the automotive landscape, both short- and long-term, underscoring a focus on responsible practices and community.
UCI’s Chief Innovation Officer Errol Arkilic said, “The partnership with Karma Automotive leverages our region’s strengths toward tangible solutions for climate-related challenges and highlights UC Irvine’s commitment to deepening our work with industry. We invite other like-minded Southern California companies to join us on this exciting journey.”
For UC Irvine and the RADiCal initiative, Karma Automotive’s partnership helps magnify the impact of research applications by moving them from the campus into the market. As part of its engagement with RADiCal, KARMA donated $100,000 to UC Irvine’s Proof of Product (PoP) grants program, which supports commercialization of promising research projects and is a key inflection point between the University and its partners in industry. The partnership reinforces UC Irvine’s brand and the region as a leader in sustainability and climate action.
“At Karma, we’re committed to driving innovation centered around sustainability and strengthening communities,” said Karma President Marques McCammon. “Aligning with UC Irvine’s RADiCal initiative helps us meld our vision for the ultra-luxury automotive marketplace with forward-thinking research and real climate action opportunities. Our partnership is designed to provide responsible stewardship for reestablishing a more natural harmony.”
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About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224-degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
About UCI Beall Applied Innovation
Led by UC Irvine’s Chief Innovation Officer, Beall Applied Innovation (BAI) is a collaborative unit comprised of the University’s Technology Transfer, Industry Sponsored Research, Enterprise Collaborations and New Ventures groups. Partnering with faculty researchers, students, industry, investors, and others in the business community, the unit aims to move UCI-developed knowledge and discoveries to market through development and management of tools, resources, and programs that increase the likelihood of market entry.
About Karma Automotive
Karma Automotive https://www.karmaautomotive.com/ is an ultra-luxury vehicle company that engineers, designs and manufactures its electric and range extended vehicles in Southern California. Headquartered in Irvine, with a production facility up the road in Moreno Valley, Karma’s dealer network includes North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East. 2024 will mark Karma’s 10th anniversary – a yearlong celebration that features the world debut of several EVs and a new brand campaign, as well as a concerted focus on the company’s mission to be an inspiration for a cleaner global future.