Initiatives

Broaden the scope of engineering research and teaching with innovation, leadership, and value creation

Prof. Ikhlaq Sidhu, Emeritus Chief Scientist, UC Berkeley SCET/ELPP, Dean at the IE Sci-Tech

Think Tank Labs

Berkeley Engineering Leaders Think Tank Group

From Google, Apple, Meta, Yahoo, Amazon, Applied Materials, VMWare, Samsung, Cisco, Micro, and more

Global Faculty
Think Tank Group

From Berkeley, Stanford, IE, MIT, UCLA, Melbourne, DTU in Denmark, Oxford, Lund in Sweden, ETH in Zurich, more

Supported by affiliations with UC Berkeley, Berkeley Global Co-Lab, Berkeley Institute of European Studies, Berkeley Engineering/SCET, Berkeley MSOL, IE Science & Technology, Rise Europe, Qatar Foundation, and Applied Innovation Institute.

Fractional Tech CXO Program

Led by Prof. Ikhlaq Sidhu, Chief Scientist Emeritus, UC Berkeley SCET/ELPP. Supporting PhD and/or top tech students to learn ‘in situ’ within organizations and firms, under the guidance of top global faculty and industry experts.

  • Qatar Foundation - AI Strategy

  • Elysium - Project-Based Learning Platform

  • MEFIC - AI-Driven Financial Investing and the Gradient Project for EU Sovereignty and Security Investments

  • Coming soon - Drone Venture Building

Engineering Leadership for the Next Generation

Developing the Next Engineering Leadership Professional Program at Berkeley College of Engineering
to adapt for AI and a new paradigm of geopolitical issues.

Berkeley International Co-Lab

The Berkeley International Co-lab for Technology fosters global innovation while bridging the gap in technology research between Silicon Valley, Europe, and other international partners. The Co-lab advances cross-border research and applied innovation, provides immersive student experiences, and hosts Collider Summits. Programs under development include:

  • IEX Berkeley Collider Summit

  • Fractional Tech CXO Program for PhD-level aspiring Tech Leaders to gain immersive experiences in industry research

  • Global Leadership Catalyst for executives to gain immersive learning for innovation leadership by being placed and mentored for advisory roles in new ventures

  • IEX Berkeley Lab for High Impact Research

  • New Global Collaboration Models for Research and Immersive Experiences

Berkeley Digital Asset Xcelerator (BDAX)

The Berkeley Digital Asset Xcelerator (BDAX) is a 6-week, focused accelerator at UC Berkeley, scaling promising startups building on or bridging to the XRP Ledger.

IEX: Ripple Virtual Asset Regulation Lab (VARL) and Tech Regulation Lab (TRL)

Building on its new partnership with UBRI, IE University is hosting the Virtual Asset Regulation Lab, focused on applied research, entrepreneurship, and corporate transformation. We are also collaborating on the Tech Regulation Lab to bridge innovation and regulation. This is a global initiative bringing together leading academic institutions, policymakers, and industry experts to shape the future of technology regulation.

Think Tank Labs Research

In Implications of AI, data, algorithms, and emerging technologies - and leveraged with AI tools

Latest Open Reports and Publications
In Support of Open Science

Afifi, Subramanian, Koul, Sidhu (PI), et al, “Truth and Information Integrity in a Digital and AI-Powered World” Think Tank Lab Report, June 2025 (download)

Given the increasing concerns regarding truth and information integrity, this technical brief considers the issue, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence, as technologies that utilize AI systems have amplified this issue.

Okoro, Ünal, Sidhu (PI), “AI Strategy Development: A Guide to How and Why”, Think Tank Lab Report, June 2025 (download)

As a guide to developing an effective AI strategy, grounded in real-world experience and shaped by lessons from a major institutional project, this report highlights common pitfalls, emerging best practices, and the value of collaborative, cross-university insight.

Recent Student Research Fellows:

  • Omar Afifi, University of Michigan

  • Aswin Subramanian Maheswaran, IE University

  • Abhishek Koul, University of Wisconsin

  • Victor Okoro, University of Ottawa, UC Berkeley

  • Sara-Nel Ünal, IE University, University of Edinburgh

Commonplace Book Style Related Technical Briefs and References:

AI & Power:

AI Health and Medicine:

  • Please take a look at this article on the IE-HBKU Health Technology Collider Summary.

  • See how digital biomarkers are part of the future of healthcare. In this case example, medical testing is done at home instead of using medical resources and hospital staff.   Onera Health (see post)

Education and Future of Work:

AI and Clean Tech


AI Data & Crypto Tools:

AI, Truth and Trust

Financial and Mobile Systems

AI and New Energy Sources

Think Tank Lab Areas

  • AI and Power Consumption

    Power Consumption from AI, and Blockchain. Implications on the future of Data Centers.

    AI Architectures - beyond assistants: AI control and interfaces for resources from IOT to calendars to robots

  • AI and Digital Biomarkers

    What opportunities and limits in using AI

    and digital biomarkers for predictive

    medicine, clinical trials, and new medicines? What infrastructure will be required?

  • AI in Education & more

    Exponential technology implications for academics, work, business, and society.

  • AI, Climate & Economy

    Climate change, economy, and data/AI inference.

  • AI and Digital Tool Trends

    What are the AI, Data, & Crypto tools and trends?

  • Quantum with AI and Exp Tech

    How does Quantum computing relate to Data/AI/Blockchain? What parts of Quantum are happening?

  • AI, Truth & Trust

    How will we have societal trust given deep fakes, social media, and AI? And, how will we achieve cyber security in an AI-driven world?

  • AI Financial and Mobility Systems

    Exponential Technologies and Financial Systems and Mobility

  • AI and New Energy Sources

    How do exponential technologies affect the possibility of Controlled Fusion and other new energy solutions