About the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue

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We leverage the expertise of Purdue University and diplomatic leaders to bridge the knowledge and experience gaps between innovators and policymakers. Our objective is to ensure that leaders of the United States and like-minded nations are able to understand critical emerging technologies and make informed laws and policy decisions.

Our experts provide research and training to policymakers, diplomats, and other key stakeholders on 5G/6G, artificial intelligence, energy and climate, hypersonics, rare earth elements, semiconductors, quantum computing, synthetic biology, and other tech sectors that are vital to U.S. foreign policy and national security interests.

Mung Chiang

Founder Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Founder, President, Purdue University

During my tenure as the Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State, I witnessed the bipartisan and growing appreciation of the intersection between critical technologies and American foreign policy. Soon after returning to Purdue University in December 2020, we launched the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue to contribute to a crisp and essential vision: technology must advance freedom.

Why Now?

In the 21st century, the challenges facing policymakers and diplomats are increasingly presented through the lens of technology. Technology can be a powerful tool to promote democracy. China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries, however, are asserting themselves through the development of an array of advanced technologies that pose an existential threat to American security and that of our allies. A familiarity with technology and its criticality to the diplomatic toolkit of the United States and its allies must move out of the realm of specialized experts and into daily parlance.