The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology became a reality with a $5 million gift from The Edwards Lifesciences Fund at the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program on June 22, 2007. The naming gift not only created an endowment for the Center to stimulate the research and training activities of the center, but also created a partnership between The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine to create an interdisciplinary environment for research and training.
In June 2009, Professor Steven C. George, M.D., Ph.D., was named the founding director, and the activities of the Center officially moved into approximately 13,000 square feet of office and lab space on the second floor of Engineering Hall.