The Balsillie School was pleased to host the third annual Technology Governance Policy Challenge from February 8th to 10th, 2026. The Challenge is a flagship, interdisciplinary student competition that brings together current and aspiring professionals working at the intersection of emerging technology and international affairs. The theme this year was “Green Technologies for Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and/or Intervention.”
Teams from the Balsillie School, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (Canada), Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (Canada), the American University School of International Service (U.S.A.), Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), IE University (Spain), Sciences Po (France), University of Warwick (England), and the University of the Western Cape (South Africa) generated creative solutions to governance challenges posed by new and emerging technologies related to migration.
The teams presented to esteemed judges Elizabeth Chalecki (University of Nebraska, Omaha), Ged McLean (B.C. Centre for Innovation & Clean Energy), and Peter Massie (Cascade Institute). Over the course of the challenge, students demonstrated impressive analytical depth, creativity, and technical awareness by developing policy solutions that addressed real-world climate challenges through innovative green technologies.
Congratulations to Hannah Kirwin, Linh Kim, Nora Afifi, and Parami Epaarachchi from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs for their winning policy brief, “Addressing Canada’s Agricultural Methane Emissions”!
Congratulations to Atreyi Mitra, Ayomide Labiyi, Chavi Ilwadhi, Haley Flower, and Jack Richards from the University of Warwick for their winning presentation, “Floating Photovoltaic Technology: Opportunities, Challenges, and Way Forward”!
The policy briefs will be published in an anthology by the BSIA. For more information about our annual Policy Challenge and to read the 2025 anthology of policy briefs, visit Technology Governance Policy Challenge.