The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by the state’s voters, who passed Proposition 71 in 2004 and allocated $3 billion in funding for stem cell research. In 2020, Californians approved Proposition 14, the ballot proposition that allowed for continued funding through CIRM with an additional $5.5 billion to support stem cell research and education.

CIRM’s mission is to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world. It is committed to supporting translational research, education and training, and infrastructure with the goal of accelerating treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. CIRM has positioned California as a global leader in stem cell and translational research, attracting top scientists and contributing to the rapid growth of the state’s biotechnology sector.

At USC, CIRM has been a key supporter of stem cell research through investments including:

• infrastructure grants to help construct USC’s stem cell research center and shared research facilities;
• recruitment grants to attract established stem cell scientists to California;
• training grants to educate the next generation of stem cell scientists, including high school students, undergraduates, master’s students, PhD students, postdoctoral trainees, and clinical fellows; and
• research grants to develop regenerative medicine treatments for patients with diseases ranging from HIV/AIDS to age-related blindness.