The Monterey Bay Drone, Automation and Robotics Technology initiative has received a two-year $2 million grant from the James Irvine Foundation. Cal State Monterey Bay will receive an allocation of $351,979 to strengthen career pathways for students interested in the aviation and robotics fields.

Awarded by the James Irvine Foundation, the grant will help address workforce shortages in the aviation and drone sectors. Grant funds will support training programs for new technicians and operators to enter the industries across the region. CSUMB’s University Corporation, the school’s business arm, will serve as the fiscal agent for the grant.

“This partnership is a powerful example of how we can bring high-wage, future-focused career pathways directly to our students and the wider community,” said Marylou Shockley, Interim Dean of the College of Business at CSUMB in a news release. “By working together with DART and leveraging the resources of the Institute for Innovation and Economic Development, we’re creating real opportunities for our graduates and area residents to thrive in the industries of tomorrow.”

Monterey Bay Drone, Automation and Robotics Technology is a nonprofit organization established in 2018 and serving the Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. The initiative is focused on supporting growth in the Uncrewed Aerial Systems (drones) and Advanced Air Mobility industries.

DART “bridges the gap between emerging technologies and the skilled labor force needed to support them,” says its website.

The organization partners with educators and industry leaders including CSUMB and Joby Aviation to expand access to jobs in the aerospace field.

The James Irvine Foundation was founded in 1938 and is a private nonprofit dedicated to ensuring low-income workers across California are able to move up economically. The foundation gave out $158.7 million in grants to organizations across the state last year.

Through the partnership with CSUMB, students will have wider access to hands-on internships and work-based learning opportunities to help them enter the workforce upon graduation. Students will gain skills in aviation and drone technology.

The grant will also help support CSUMB’s Innovation and Economic Development, run through the university’s College of Business.

The initiative is a collaboration with regional organizations to foster “entrepreneurship, innovation, and regional economic resilience” said a news release.

The initiative will focus on piloting drone and aviation maintenance technicians programs to make them more accessible to underrepresented populations as well as offering work opportunities for CSUMB students.

It will also look to establish Salinas as a model for equitable access to Advanced Air Mobility and Unmanned Aircraft System job opportunities and promote innovation and sustainability in the long-term.

“We are excited to partner with The James Irvine Foundation, the University Corporation at Monterey Bay,and CSUMB to drive inclusive growth in the AAM and UAS sectors,” said DART Executive Director Josh Metz in a news release.

“This grant allows us to deliver high-impact training and workforce development programs that open doors for underserved communities and strengthen the regional economy.”