During the opening ceremonies, Professor [Xioaqing] Pan said, “Our mission is to build UCI into a world-renowned institution in materials research. We aim to provide an innovative environment for future talent by offering state-of-the-art tools for solving today’s challenges. Furthermore, as an interdisciplinary institute, IMRI provides a perfect platform for the collaboration of researchers in different fields. It will not only lead to the discovery of chemical bonds between elements, it will also create bonds between people.”

UCI reports that nearly 50% of their course offerings include sustainability and over 96% of their academic departments provide sustainability course offerings. The university offers several sustainability-focused degrees, including an Environmental Science and Policy B.A. degree, a B.A.