IE University Presents IEX Berkeley Collider Summit Report on the Rewiring of Globalization and Institutional Design in the Age of AI
New report from the IEX Berkeley Collider Summit, developed by IE School of Science & Technology at IE University and UC Berkeley’s International Co-Lab, distills insights from global leaders across academia, venture, industry, and policy on the structural shifts reshaping globalization and innovation systems in a world transformed by technology.
Madrid / Berkeley, March 2026. Institutions must redesign structurally, not only technologically, to remain competitive in an increasingly contested yet interconnected global system. This is the central conclusion of Navigating Technological and Geopolitical Transformation, a report published jointly by IE School of Science & Technology at IE University and UC Berkeley’s International Co-Lab.
The publication draws on insights from over 30 global leaders across academia, venture, industry and policy who met at the inaugural IEX Berkeley Collider Summit, held in Berkeley and co-organized by IE University. The report identifies the structural shifts reshaping globalization, innovation systems, and institutional strategy in an era defined by geopolitical fragmentation and artificial intelligence as infrastructure.
From Efficiency to Resilience: The Rewiring of Globalization
The report concludes that globalization is not retreating, but being fundamentally redesigned.
Where the previous era prioritized efficiency and cost optimization, the current landscape emphasizes resilience, sovereignty, and strategic control. Capital, data, and talent are increasingly moving through regionally defined corridors shaped by regulatory divergence and national interest.
Institutions capable of navigating multiple regulatory environments while building trust architectures across jurisdictions will define the next phase of global competitiveness.
Artificial Intelligence as Infrastructure
Participants identified a decisive shift in how artificial intelligence is understood. AI is no longer confined to software applications; it is becoming an embedded layer of physical and economic infrastructure - integrated into logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, robotics, and energy systems.
The frontier lies in the convergence of semiconductors, autonomous systems, digital twins, and energy-efficient computation - developments with significant implications for governance, research funding, and institutional design.
Innovation Is Measured by Deployment
Across discussions on venture capital, research, and cross-border business strategy, participants converged on a central shift: the measure of innovation success has moved from invention to scaled, real-world impact.
Publications and patents remain important, but impact is increasingly defined by adoption, integration, and deployment at scale.
"The real test for institutions is not how much they invent, but how well they learn to co-create and scale positive change in industry and society," said Ikhlaq Sidhu, Dean of IE School of Science & Technology and Co-Chair of the IEX Berkeley Collider Summit.
The report calls for new “translation architectures” that connect discovery to implementation through coordinated public–private collaboration, risk-tolerant financing, and institutional alignment.
Universities at a Strategic Threshold
Higher education emerged as one of the systems most in need of redesign. Institutions must pivot from credentialing students toward cultivating agency, interdisciplinary capability, and navigability across industry and policy environments.
"Universities can no longer afford to see themselves as passive observers of technological change. Our responsibility is to actively shape the institutional frameworks within which innovation unfolds, combining scientific imagination with social responsibility." said Trond Petersen, Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean, UC Berkeley and Co-Chair of the IEX Berkeley Collider Summit
In a context shaped by AI diffusion, sovereign data regimes, and shifting labour markets, universities must operate as adaptive systems rather than siloed repositories of expertise.
Five Catalysts for Institutional Action
The report identifies five priority areas for embedding these structural shifts into institutional strategy:
- Education for Agency
- Data as Governance
- Sovereign Collaboration
- Sustainable Intelligence
- Scalable Implementation
"The challenge for institutions is not merely to innovate within their own boundaries, but to design for interoperability across them," said Leticia Cabral Calvillo, Executive Director of the IEX Research Xcelerator at IE University.
Together, they provide a blueprint for institutions seeking to align technology, governance, and education within an increasingly complex global landscape.
As technological and geopolitical pressures intensify, the report argues that institutions capable of building adaptive, trust-based systems will be best positioned to navigate complexity and shape the next chapter of global innovation.
About the IEX Berkeley Collider Summit
Hosted at UC Berkeley’s International Co-Lab, and co-organized by IE University, the inaugural IEX Berkeley Collider Summit convened leaders from IE University, Technical University of Denmark (DTU Skylab), Technische Universität München (TUM) and UnternehmerTUM, Germany, UC Berkeley International Co-Lab, Agora Strategy, AtScale, Capital49, Celesta Capital, GSK, Kohlmann & Co. AG, Mirai Capital Global, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Ripple UBRI, Shorelight, Silicon Valley Bank, Telstra, Tesla, UnternehmerTUM, Vertex Ventures US, and The Yope Foundation.
Participants included Angelica Kohlmann, Basil Cleveland, Bissan Ghaddar, Chris Lynch, Christian Mohr, Christopher Cheng, Ikhlaq Sidhu, In Sik Rhee, Jorge Pou Burgos, Justin Andrews, Justin Wiley, Kai Andrejewski, Karin H. Bauer, Lauren Weymouth, Leticia Cabral Calvillo, Li Song, Marc Tarpenning, Mark Asta, Mark Wilfried Mueller, Martin Eberhard, Martin Varsavsky, Michael Baum, Michael Marks, Mikkel Skovborg, Mikkel Sørensen, Nacho Molina, Olaf Groth, Puneet Pandit, Rich Lyons, Senthoor Punniamoorthy, Simo Mäkiharju, Tarek Zohdi, Thas Nirmalathas, Trond Petersen, and Victoria Howell.
The Berkeley edition marks the first in a continuing IEX Collider Series which will aim to convene future dialogues across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, focusing on applied domains including finance, health, climate, and education.
The Outcome IEX Collider Summit Report, Navigating Technological and Geopolitical Transformation, is available at:
IEX_ReportSummit_a4_fin_SinglePages 1 1.pdf
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