The UIDP Bay Area Forum is a one-day in-person gathering of senior leaders from academia, industry, government, and philanthropy who are shaping the future of research and innovation. Held in the heart of Silicon Valley, it offers a trusted environment for candid conversation and insider insights on the strategies, structures, and shared priorities that will define the next era of cross-sector collaboration. As technological change accelerates and national priorities evolve, the stakes for effective university-industry partnerships have never been higher.

This event creates space for timely, strategic dialogue on how research institutions and innovation-driven organizations can align more deeply, respond more rapidly, and lead more confidently.  Attendance is limited to foster meaningful exchange. Sessions feature fireside chats, expert perspectives, and peer-to-peer discussions designed to challenge assumptions, surface tensions, and identify practical paths forward.

This is not a typical conference; it’s a working forum for decision makers committed to addressing challenges with clarity, coordination, and purpose.

3 Reasons to Attend

1. Stay ahead of current trends in funding models, talent solutions, compliance, and research infrastructure. 
2. Showcase your leadership in public-private partnerships and share your solutions to contemporary challenges. 
3. Learn new strategies for U-I collaboration from like-minded stakeholders in UIDP’s community. 

This in-person event will present the current landscape, explore partnering needs, and propose new approaches through panel discussions, fireside chats, and case study presentations. The Bay Area Forum is an intimate event comprising approximately 100 delegates who participate freely in collaborative dialogue with speakers. Sessions are not recorded, and the meeting is conducted under Chatham House Rule. 

Featured Speaker

Erwin Gianchandani is the U.S. National Science Foundation’s assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, leading the newly established TIP Directorate.

Gianchandani has worked at NSF since 2012. Prior to becoming the assistant director for TIP, he served as the senior advisor for Translation, Innovation and Partnerships for over a year, where he helped develop plans for the new TIP Directorate in collaboration with colleagues at NSF, other government agencies, industry and academia.

During the previous six years, Gianchandani was the NSF deputy assistant director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, twice serving as acting assistant director for CISE. Gianchandani’s leadership and management of CISE included

the formulation and implementation of the directorate's $1 billion annual budget, strategic and human capital planning, and oversight of day-to-day operations for a team of over 130. Gianchandani has led the development and launch of several new NSF initiatives, including the Smart & Connected Communities program, Civic Innovation Challenge, Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research, and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes.

Before joining NSF in 2012, Gianchandani was the inaugural director of the Computing Community Consortium, providing leadership to the computing research community in identifying and pursuing bold, high-impact research directions such as health information technology and sustainable computing.

Gianchandani has published extensively and presented at international conferences on computational systems biology. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering, all from the University of Virginia.

In 2021, Gianchandani received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, awarded to members of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. In 2018, he was awarded the Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate Award from the University of Virginia.

Seating is limited. Registration is required and subject to approval.

Bay Area Forum 2027 is hosted by:

Thank you to our Bay Area Forum 2027 sponsors:

Sponsor Bay Area Forum 2027

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