UCSD Makerspace recovers from budget shortfall

Noticeable declines in UC San Diego Makerspace’s functionality last year prompted concerned members of the Startup Incubator Club to rally students to speak out about reduced hours and broken machines — something students attributed to a speculated loss of funding.

Campus administrators dismissed questions regarding the Makerspace’s financial status, attributing this perceived budget shortfall to the general chilling effect the state budget had on all-around campus spending. “There was no immediate threat to the funding,” said Qualcomm Institute Director Ramesh Rao in an interview with The UCSD Guardian last May “The story took on a life of its own.

An email from former Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Robert Continetti on July 30, 2025, addressed to Rao challenges this previous statement. The Guardian obtained the email from UCSD’s Policy and Records Administration the day after UCSD Makerspace recovers from budget shortfall.

The Makerspace has been supported by one-time allocations over the last recent budget cycles, but given the financial challenges we face as a campus at this time … there will be no separate line-item allocation to support the Makerspace,” Continetti wrote in the statement to Rao.