News

Webinar

How Innovation Supports Resilience in Higher Education

Among the key topics discussed at a webinar on November 8th on resilience in higher education were the U.S. and German systems, both regions’ approaches to handling crises, as well as design thinking. Moderated by Zahar Barth-Manzoori, Director of DWIH San Francisco and Benedikt Brisch, Director of DWIH New York, the event brought in Julia Schaletzky, Executive Director of the Harry Wheeler Center for Emerging & Neglected Diseases (CEND) at UC Berkeley and Joann Halpern, Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute in New York. The speakers shared their thoughts and responded to questions from the online audience of around 100 people.

Focus Topic

Resilient Societies: The Bay Area’s Reinvention through Culture and Innovation

On October 10th, DWIH San Francisco held its signature event on Resilient Societies: The Bay Area’s Reinvention Through Culture and Innovation, where it focused on how art and culture foster innovation and how the unique mindset in the San Francisco Bay Area contributes to resilience. Moderated by Martin Rauchbauer, Executive Director of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and Zahar Barth-Manzoori, Director of the DWIH San Francisco, the evening touched on the Bay Area’s key strength — its ability to attract innovators from diverse backgrounds and how it brings people together to spawn new ideas. Panelists included long-term residents of the Bay Area, as well as more recent transplants who shared their experiences living in the Bay Area and how we should look to the future of the region we call home.

Transatlantic Cooperation

Roundtable on Deep Tech and Science-Based Startups

On Friday, July 21st, the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) San Francisco held a private roundtable with Dr. Anna Christmann, Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The topic, Deep Tech and Science-based Startups, brought together experts in their field to discuss artificial intelligence and the range of new possibilities for AI-based start-ups.

Supporter Event

6th German-American Mobility Dialogue

On July 10th, DWIH San Francisco supported the 6th German-American Future Mobility Dialogue, hosted by the German-American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) West in San Francisco. This event explored the opportunities of autonomous individual road transportation while also covering the technical, legal, social, economical and human-factors related hurdles relating to its introduction. Held as a precursor event of the Road Transportation Symposium (ARTS 2023), the forum fostered a transatlantic exchange of knowledge and network building between experts from industry, academia and policy-making.

Transatlantic Collaboration

The Future of Aging: Transatlantic Perspectives on Digital Health Tech

On May 31st, the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) San Francisco, along with CITRIS and the Banatao Institute held a joint event, titled “The Future of Aging: Transatlantic Perspectives on Digital Health Tech,” which planted the seeds for a new collaboration between CITRIS Health and the Digital Urban Center for Aging and Health (DUCAH) in Germany. Please click here for a one-page summary of the event, for the presenters’ slides, and for the recording.

The Importance of Acceptance of Climate Research Findings for Political and Social Action

Trust in Science

On Tuesday, May 24th, we spent the day at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles for their event: “Trust in Science in the Context of Climate Change Action.” This event brought together Professors Rebeca Méndez, Jon Krosnick, Craig Callender, and Ursula Heise, who offered interdisciplinary perspectives on how we can increase awareness of the climate crisis and call to action through messaging and art, statistics on how Americans perceive climate change, as well as pitfalls that the scientific community has faced in fostering trust in its work.

Transatlantic Cooperation

Entrepreneurship & Innovation

On February 1st, the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) San Francisco, Lehigh University, University Alliance Ruhr, and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center held the first in-person event of 2023. This event, titled “Advancing Entrepreneurship & Innovation” facilitated conversation with key stakeholders from government, academia, and industry to shed light on opportunities and best-practices for advancing entrepreneurship and innovation. Please click here for a downloadable summary of the event. Also, please check out a University World News article featuring this new partnership.

Innovation Platform

The Future of Global Technology and Innovation Collaboration in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley Bay Area

A key characteristic of the San Francisco/Silicon Valley economy is the large array of globally headquartered companies that locate R&D facilities, accelerator programs, venture funds, science offices, or innovation outposts in the region.