Blum Center for Developing Economies

About the center​

Solving the world's biggest problems in
 energy  healthcare  gender equality  education  food security  clean water  sanitation

The Blum Center for Developing Economies leverages the talent, enthusiasm, and energy of the University of California, Berkeley community to address the grand challenge of global poverty. Our interdisciplinary problem-solving approach draws on students and faculty dedicated to facing this challenge through innovative initiatives, education, and research.

Scenic view of Berkeley grounds. A wide path lined with trees leads to the campanile. The path is shaded by the canopy of large trees, casting shadows on the ground. Several people are walking and cycling along the path, enjoying the sunny day.

Programs

The Blum Center provides interdisciplinary academic programs, fellowships, research initiatives, and hands-on experiential learning opportunities.

Acumen

The Rockefeller Foundation-Acumen Student Social Innovation Challenge offers Big Ideas students exclusive resources for building successful social enterprises.

Affinity Group

AFFINITY GROUPS celebrate the diversity of our student cohorts, while also offering a space to share, support, and learn about/from each other.

BEGIN

The Berkeley Gateway to Innovation (BEGIN) is the portal to the entrepreneurship community at UC Berkeley.

Big Ideas

BIG IDEAS is an annual innovation contest that provides funding, resources, mentorship, and validation to student-led social ventures. Based out of the Blum Center at UC Berkeley and open to all 10 University of California campuses, Big Ideas seeks out novel ideas and offers targeted training and support to social entrepreneurs as they navigate the earliest stages of the ideation process.

CARE

The Blum Center Network across all 10 UC campuses works with CARE USA and the University of California Office of President to pilot a Fellowship Program for graduate students.

CEGA

The University of California’s premiere center for research on global development.

CGI U

The Blum Center has supported over 400 students to participate in CGI U as they develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.

Development Engineering

DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING is an interdisciplinary training program launched in 2014 for UC Berkeley graduate students who aim to use technology to address the needs of people living in poverty. The program is the first of its kind in the country. Now featuring InFEWS, a food-energy-water concentration of Development Engineering, and a forthcoming professional master's degree program.

DToD Fellowship

The Digital Transformation of Development (DToD) program will include interdisciplinary research activities, formal coursework and curriculum building, immersive lab and field training, the creation of official DToD concentrations at both the doctoral and master’s degree levels, and career development. In addition, the program’s effectiveness in developing critical skillsets for multinational workforces will be assessed through formative evaluation.

Global Poverty and Practice

GPP, one of the largest and most popular minors on the UC Berkeley campus, gives students an opportunity to examine contemporary forms of poverty, wealth, and inequality through academic coursework and practical experience. To date, 19,200 students have taken GPP courses and over 1,000 have graduated from the minor.

InFews

InFEWS (Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems) supports a new generation of students working at the critical juncture of food, energy, and water. These students will master the interdisciplinary skills needed to create actionable and impactful research that is transferable from the lab to the field at scale and to ultimately make real lives better.

LIFT

The UC Berkeley Lab for Inclusive FinTech (LIFT) is a research partnership aiming at unlocking the potential of digital financial technologies to benefit underserved populations around the world.

NSF

National Science Foundation supports Research Traineeships in the Digital Transformation of Development. 

USAID

USAID and the Blum Center collaborate on the Development Impact Lab which sources, develops and scales novel technologies and services for low-resource settings including fragile environments.

Visiting Senior Fellows Program

The Blum Center invites applications from individuals interested in joining the Center as Senior Visiting Fellows. Become part of a vibrant community working together to advance projects related to technology and social impact.
UC Berkeley Seal
Blum Center for Developing Economies
The University of California, Berkeley
Blum Hall, #5570
Berkeley, CA 94720-5570
(510) 643-5316 • blumcenter@berkeley.edu
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© 2024 Blum Center for Developing Economies

Host and Fellow Responsibilities

Host Organizations

  • Identify staff supervisor to manage I&E Climate Action Fellow
  • Submit fellowship description and tasks
  • Engage in the matching process
  • Mentor and advise students
  • Communicate with Berkeley program director and give feedback on the program.

Berkeley Program Director​

  • Communicate with host organizations, students, and other university departments to ensure smooth program operations

Student Fellows

  • Complete application and cohort activities
  • Communicate with staff and host organizations
  • Successfully complete assignments from host organization during summer practicum
  • Summarize and report summer experience activities post-fellowship