The University of California San Diego (UCSD) has announced a $3 million gift from Aiiso Yufeng (Jeff) Li and his wife, DongDong (Doreen) Li, in support of the Jacobs School of Engineering. 

The gift will provide support to the school’s ongoing efforts to empower researchers to translate their innovations to the marketplace. In recognition of the gift, an area on the first floor of UCSD’s Franklin Antonio Hall has been named the Aiiso AL21 Space, after Li’s company, which is the parent company of CorDX, a global biotechnology firm. The new space is home to the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur, which aims to empowers engineers, computer scientists, and other innovators to advance discoveries from the lab to the marketplace.

Since 2021, the Li family has provided more than $29 million in philanthropic commitments to the Jacobs School, including $21 million in support of the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering and $3 million to support the Jacobs School’s Sustainable Power and Energy Center.

“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.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/SeventyFour)