Berkeley International Co-Lab
For Tech Leaders to Navigate Change and Create Value via Collaborations for Thought Leadership and Immersive Innovation
Collaborators and Sponsors:
- Ripple UBRI, or the University Blockchain Research Initiative, is a program launched by Ripple to support and accelerate academic research, technical development, and innovation in blockchain and digital payments. (link)
- GSK, a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company that discovers, develops, and manufactures medicines and vaccines (link)
- IEX Labs, an initiative of the IE School of Science & Technology, Madrid, and Global (link)
News:
- Berkeley International Co-Lab collaborates to support the Berkeley Mechanical Engineering Department's Funding towards Digital Twins as high-impact research (link)
- Berkeley International Co-Lab hosts the IEX Collider Summit with IE School of Science & Technology (link)
- Berkeley-IEX Co-Lab to Bridge SV to EU and Rise Europe with Experiential Teaching Programs, Research, and Events
Berkeley International Co-lab Leadership and Advisory Board
- Trond Petersen, Co-Lab Director and Co-chair, Associate Executive Dean, Professor of Sociology and Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
- Ikhlaq Sidhu, Berkeley International Co-Lab Co-chair, Advisory Board, IES Senior Fellow, UC Berkeley. IE Sci-Tech Dean & Professor. Former Founding Director/Chief Scientist, ELPP, CFI, SCET, UC Berkeley (2005-2022).
- Tarek Zohdi, Associate Dean, Co-Lab Advisory Board, Berkeley Engineering; Professor ME, UC Berkeley
- Olaf J Groth, PhD, Co-Lab Advisory Board, Faculty Director, Emerging Tech Strategies (BEE), UC Berkeley
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News Tuesday, March 10, 2026:
The Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People Collaboration with IE School of Science & Technology Advances Global Dialogue on Deep Tech, Innovation Systems and Societal Impact
The Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People and IEX Labs, an initiative of the IE School of Science & Technology, Madrid and Global, jointly contributed to a new report emerging from the Collider Summit — a high-level convening of researchers, founders, corporates, and policy leaders examining how deep technology can be more effectively translated into societal and economic impact.
The report synthesizes insights from cross-sector discussions held at Berkeley and Madrid, focusing on the structural conditions required to move frontier research from lab to market. Rather than treating innovation as a linear pipeline, the Summit emphasized the importance of coordinated ecosystems - where universities, industry, and policy actors align incentives, talent development, and capital formation around shared missions. The Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People played a central role in shaping these conversations, bringing its expertise in interdisciplinary research and responsible technology.
Key themes include the need for new translational models that bridge discovery and deployment; the importance of talent architectures that combine scientific depth with entrepreneurial capability; and the growing role of universities as system integrators within regional and global innovation networks. The findings reinforce Berkeley International Co-Lab’s commitment to advancing technology in the service of people and society, while strengthening transatlantic collaboration with European partners.
The full report offers a framework for understanding how deep tech ecosystems can evolve to meet pressing global challenges — and how institutions such as Berkeley and IE can jointly contribute to building more resilient, inclusive and impact-oriented innovation systems.
For more information, visit this page or this direct document link
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News August 1, 2025:
The Berkeley International Study Program Launches the Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People Initiative
Berkeley, CA — August 1, 2025 — The Berkeley International Study Program (BISP) at the University of California, Berkeley, launches the new Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People Initiative. The programmatic activities of this initiative aim to connect cutting-edge technology research and education in Silicon Valley, Europe, and other international ecosystems. The initiative’s projects support applied innovation and provide immersive experiences for global undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of technology and people, from full-semester programs to shorter 1-4 week summer programs.
This Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People Initiative, led by Professor Trond Petersen, will also serve as a platform for high-impact events, convenings, and summits, bringing together academics, technologists, policymakers, and industry leaders to spark dialogue at the intersection of technology, education, and policy.
This initiative underscores Berkeley’s growing commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration that transcends traditional boundaries, creating new models for research, student engagement, and real-world impact.
For more information, contact Trond Petersen, Director of the Berkeley International Study Program and Director of the Berkeley International Co-Lab for Technology & People, at trond@berkeley.edu.
Contact us for Questions & Collaborations | bisp@berkeley.edu
