The Technology Governance Policy Challenge is a two-day event for graduate students who compete to develop the best ideas in addressing longer-term governance challenges associated with new and emerging technology. Participating student teams draw inspiration from a real-world case study and present their proposals to a distinguished panel of judges comprising industry experts, government representatives, and faculty members.
In the fall of 2023, the BSIA launched a new, five-year Technology Governance Initiative. One of the components is an annual Technology Governance Policy Challenge for graduate students. In April 2024, the BSIA collaborated with the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC, to host a small, successful pilot challenge on the theme “Technology and Foreign Interference in Elections.” The 2025 Challenge theme was "Emerging Technology and Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration," and the event was expanded to also include graduate student teams from New York University, IE Madrid, and University of the Western Cape. Each team wrote a policy brief based on their presentation. These briefs were compiled into an anthology.
The Technology Governance Policy Challenge provides advanced training to future international affairs researchers and policy professionals who anticipate addressing the impacts and possibilities of advanced technologies in their policy area. The competition generates valuable analysis and creative ideas for governing the adoption of advanced technologies for managing migration; creates a community of practice composed of student-participants and experts from industry, government, and non-profit sector who serve as judges and coaches; and establishes a network of academic institutional partners composed of professional schools of international affairs and research centers committed to research and teaching related to the governance of emerging and advanced technologies.
The theme of the 2026 Policy Challenge is:
“Green Technologies for Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and/or Intervention.”
The event will take place in Waterloo, Ontario, from February 8 to 10, 2026.
Partner Organization
The Balsillie School is pleased to partner with American University’s School of International Service, a top 10 school of international affairs located in Washington, DC. The school and its research centers – including the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technologies – produce transformational research and prepare more than 3,000 professional graduate and undergraduate students for global careers in government, nonprofits, and business.
