Expand competition and innovation in City procurement to increase opportunities for SMBs.
Design. Build. Innovate. For Berkeley, with Berkeley.
What: A high-energy 7-day innovation sprint culminating in pitches to Berkeley city leaders with feedback and awards (up to $4K per winning team). The CIC pairs UC Berkeley students together to co-design solutions to pressing civic challenges.
When: The deadline to apply is December 1. The design sprint will take place from January 30 to February 6.
Who: Open to all currently enrolled UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students.
7-day design sprint: January 30 to February 6
Networking and mentorship with campus/city leaders
Up to $18K in total awards, accelerator opportunities & more
Expand competition and innovation in City procurement to increase opportunities for SMBs.
Help Berkeley lead in digital equity by creating tools and processes for people of all abilities.
Streamline how Berkeley residents discover and access Berkeley’s many housing programs.
Build innovative strategies or tools that reduce waste and enhance sustainability efforts.
Strengthen Berkeley’s disaster preparedness through creative community-driven systems.
The Civic Innovation Challenge is open to all UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students who are eager to tackle real-world civic and policy challenges.
Interdisciplinary collaboration is strongly encouraged. We welcome participants from policy, engineering, design, business, data science, and related fields.
No prior experience in civic innovation is required! Creativity, commitment, and a desire to make an impact is needed.
Participants will have the opportunity to:
Career Development and Growth
Develop a standout portfolio piece that highlights your creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, helping you stand out in future academic or professional pursuits.
The Civic Innovation Challenge runs as a one-week design sprint (January 30 through February 6), combining workshops, mentorship, and collaborative problem-solving to turn creative ideas into actionable policy solutions.
Civic Challenge Kickoff & Networking Reception
Friday, January 30, 3-6pm & Saturday, Participation Required
Entrepreneurship Workshops and Rapid Ideation Sessions
January 31, 10am-3pm: Participation Required
Design Innovation Week
February 1 – February 5, Independent team work
February 6 – Final Pitch Competition & Awards Celebration
3pm-6pm, Mandatory Participation.
The Civic Innovation Challenge recognizes student teams that demonstrate creativity, feasibility, and impact in addressing civic challenges.
Top Awards
Finalists
All teams will be recognized and celebrated during the Final Pitch Competition and Awards Reception on February 6, with opportunities for continued collaboration through Berkeley’s Civic Innovation and Big Ideas programs.
Running from January 30 to February 6, the CIC is a fast-paced, 7-day design sprint that empowers UC Berkeley students to design and build solutions to real-world civic challenges put forward by City of Berkeley leaders and community organizations.
Any currently enrolled UC Berkeley students are eligible to participate, regardless of degree program or level (graduate or undergraduate).
Each team will be comprised of 4 to 5 students. There will be an emphasis on building multidisciplinary teams.
Students can apply as individuals or as team partners (2 students). If you plan to apply as team partners, please note that you will be paired with 2-3 other students on a multidisciplinary team of 4-5 team members.
60–70 students will be selected from a competitive pool of applicants. From this group, participants will form teams of four to five members, each assigned to a designated civic challenge that aligns with their interests.
Interested students should apply by the December 1, 2025 deadline. Applications will be reviewed by the CIC organizing committee, and selected students will be notified in mid-December.
Both individual (1 student), and team partner (2 students) applications will be accepted. There is no advantage to applying as either an individual or as team partners.
No. The CIC student selection process prioritizes multidisciplinary engagement, so all majors are encouraged to apply.
On the application web form, student applicants will need to provide brief information about themselves, their academic background, their LinkedIn profile, and a short statement of interest. If applying as a team or as a tandem, the team lead (person submitting the application) will be responsible for gathering all of the necessary information for their teammates.
Yes. Because the Civic Innovation Challenge is highly collaborative and centered on team-based workshops and activities, in-person participation is required.
Over the 7-day design sprint, January 30 and February 6, you should expect to commit roughly 20 hours in total, attending workshops and events and working independently with your assigned team. We anticipate approximately 12 hours for (mandatory) in-person events/activities, and 8 hours working with your team.
Participation in events/activities listed below is mandatory. If you can not attend all, please do not apply. (We hope to offer this opportunity again in the future, so there will likely be other chances to participate.)
We expect student teams to go beyond simply identifying problems. By the end of the Challenge, teams should have clearly defined and described their proposed solutions and strategies, and in many cases, developed wireframes, MVPs (minimum viable products), or even prototypes. The goal is to demonstrate not only creativity and vision but also a tangible strategy towards implementation that can be shared with City leaders and community members.
Contact Info:
bigideas@berkeley.edu