BERKELEY, CA – September 23, 2009 – The University of California, Berkeley, today announced the establishment of the Tsinghua-Berkeley Global Technology Entrepreneurship Program (GTE). Developed by Berkeley’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (CET) and Tsinghua University’s Graduate School and School of Economics and Management’s National Entrepreneurship Research Center, GTE is the only joint international academic curriculum approved by Tsinghua University’s Graduate School. The program, made possible by a generous donation from UC Berkeley alumna Cher Wang and her husband Wenchi Chen, will teach core concepts in technology entrepreneurship and innovation to a pilot group of 50 Tsinghua students (primarily graduate students from the engineering and science disciplines).

Based on the educational model developed by UC Berkeley’s CET, the year-long program begins on September 24, 2009 with a lecture series and a foundation course in technology leadership.  These will be followed in spring by technology-specific and related courses (e.g. Web 2.0, Clean Tech, intellectual property management) as well as a final entrepreneurial business project. Additionally in this pilot year, the program is exploring incorporating joint projects for Tsinghua and Berkeley students to collaborate in future years.

A key tenet of the program is to bring real-world experience to the classroom. To accomplish this, seasoned entrepreneurs and experts in innovation from the Asia-Pacific region as well as the United States will join UC Berkeley faculty in Tsinghua’s Beijing classrooms. Cynthia Dai, CET Industry Fellow, is exemplary of efforts to provide students with real-world insight. A Chinese speaker and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Dai has been instrumental in establishing the coursework at the Center, “We hand-selected the program’s top graduate students together with our Tsinghua colleagues and expect a great deal of passion and hard work from them.  The program will be rigorous: classes will be in English, the learning methodology will be different from what most Tsinghua students are used to, and the engagement with industry partners and mentors will challenge students to excel.”

As CET Director, Ikhlaq Sidhu commented, “In this increasingly global world where entrepreneurs need to think about international markets and resources early on, we recognize the importance of providing students with the opportunity to network and collaborate more fully with like-minded entrepreneurs around the world.   We look forward to deepening our collaborations and the promise of world-changing technology and services that will come from Tsinghua and Berkeley students working together and learning from one another.”  As the program grows to include involvement with UC Berkeley students, students from across the Berkeley campus will engage in this program.

The Tsinghua-Berkeley GTE program currently stands as the pioneer collaborative educational program in CET’s Global Venture Lab network.  The network, comprising premier universities with programs in entrepreneurship and innovation in Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas [http://cet.berkeley.edu/global-venture-lab-network]) is slated to meet at UC Berkeley in November 2009 to share best practices and further develop models of interaction and collaboration.

About the University of California, Berkeley

The University of California was chartered in 1868, and what would become its flagship campus was soon established at Berkeley, a city across the bay from San Francisco. Today, UC Berkeley is considered the world's premier public university and a wellspring of innovation, claiming 21 Nobel Laureates, eight of whom are current faculty members. The campus is home to more than 130 academic departments and more than 80 interdisciplinary research units.

About the Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology
The Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (CET) is affiliated with the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and UC Berkeley's College of Engineering. Since its establishment in 2005, the Center's mission has been to equip engineers and scientists with the skills to lead, innovate, and commercialize technology in the global economy. Through teaching, programs, network building, and research interlaced with strong industry participation, the Center teaches entrepreneurship as it relates to individual venture creation and to innovation within existing entities.

About Tsinghua University

Founded in 1911 on a former Qing Dynasty imperial garden in northwest Beijing, Tsinghua University is one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in China. With a 98-year history of excellence, it is known as a cradle for training of top professionals and an incubator for scientific and technological research. With the support of the government and the Ministry of Education, the university has achieved the leading position nationwide in education and research and is developing towards a world class university.

About The National Entrepreneurship Research Center

Entrepreneurship is the fundamental driving force for economic development and wealth creation. The mission of the National Entrepreneurship Research Center at Tsinghua University is to cultivate the leaders of China’s high-tech ventures and venture capital firms. The center offers educational courses and conducts basic research to further people’s understanding of the dynamic process of entrepreneurship. With the support of the government, the center actively involves the policy and strategy research on entrepreneurship and venture capital in China. The center also develops cooperation with domestic and international institutions and enterprises for knowledge contribution and effective transformation from knowledge to wealth.