The University of California at Berkeley will team with Stanford University School of Medicine to establish a joint stem-cell research institute worth $9 million, campus officials announced Wednesday.

The Siebel Stem Cell Institute, funded by a gift from the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, will join faculty from both campuses in researching cancer, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and other human development diseases related to stem cell biology.

An additional $1.5 million from the Siebel Foundation-matched by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for a total of $3 million-will establish the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Distinguished Chair in Stem Cell Research at UC Berkeley. This chair will recruit faculty undertaking world-class level research in the field, said campus spokesperson Jose Rodriguez.

Robert Tjian, a molecular and cell biology professor, will oversee research efforts on campus as director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center, with Irving Weissman at the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

“Every penny counts,” Tjian said. “We’re a state university, so we don’t have big endowments for supporting research. This will make a huge difference for us.”