PEER Business and Industry Partnership (BIP)
Industry and government partners are an integral part of the research program at PEER. For an annual donation, the PEER Business and Industry Partnership (BIP) involves members in PEER research and education programs and provides access to PEER researchers and products. Researchers share individual research plans and findings with partners having similar interests. Business and Industry Partners are invited to present recent projects and technological needs at student-organized seminars, where they also have the opportunity to interact with PEER students and faculty.
PEER holds frequent meetings to summarize research progress and seek input on the PEER research program. PEER also runs state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice workshops on selected topics related to the PEER mission, and invites Business and Industry Partners to attend. Selected representatives of the Business and Industry Partnership plus representatives of key government agencies providing funding for PEER are members of an Industry Advisory Board (IAB), which advises PEER on its strategic plan, its research projects, implementation of research results, and new opportunities for funding.
PEER works with industry and government partners to develop and manage long-term major practical research programs using leveraged funding. User-driven research projects are frequently formulated and jointly managed by PEER, agencies of the State of California, and private industry. An example success story is the Next Generation Attenuation West models (NGA-West1) project, jointly funded by California Department of Transportation, California Energy Commission, and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. NGA has had a major practical impact on seismic hazard of the western United States.
Learn more about BIP benefits and how to join.
Technology Transfer
One of the strengths of PEER is its strong collaboration with members of private industry and government agencies. Technology transfer at PEER is carried out via various channels. Business and Industry Partners (BIP) members are invited and involved in various PEER workshops and meetings, and they also have the opportunity to suggest practical research projects.
PEER has also had many "user-driven" research projects jointly funded by the end-users and private industry, Federal government, State of California, and local agencies. In such projects, PEER researchers get feedback from the end-users, while the practicing engineers obtain first-hand information about the upcoming research findings.
The PEER report series, the Latest News listing on the website, and PEER News Alerts (PEER's email announcement service) are also widely used by both researchers and practitioners to gain information about the latest research results.
PEER annual meeting also provides a venue for members of the public and PEER community to exchange views and ideas. PEER researchers and students, as well as practicing engineers attend the annual meetings.
If you are interested in becoming a BIP member, please email peer_bip@berkeley.edu.
