FAQ

What is the Innovation Challenge?

The Innovation Challenge is HaasID’s flagship fall event! This is a one-day design sprint, led by IDEO, that brings together graduate students from across UC Berkeley to solve a real problem for a real company. This year we will be focusing on the future of food systems.

Do I need to be a member of HaasID to participate?

Nope! The application is open to all graduate students currently enrolled at UC Berkeley. (You do have to be a grad student, though.)

So can I just show up?

No! Participation is limited to 40 students selected through an application process. This year’s application is open through 11:59pm on October 17th for Haas students and until Nov 1st for all other graduate students. You will be notified about the status of your application by October 24th (for Haas students) and on a rolling basis after that for all non-Haas students.

What does participation entail?

If you are selected to participate, you will be notified by October 24th and will receive your team assignment ~7 days before the challenge. At that time we’ll also assign some pre-work (~1-2 hours) that will involve doing preliminary research.

After that, your job is to show up on November 9th with an open mind! The Challenge is a full day event and will run from 8:30am-3:30pm at Haas.

Can I form my own team?

Sorry, but that’s our job! We want to make sure that teams are composed of students who bring a variety of skills, expertise, and interests to the table. All applications will be considered individually.

Who should I email if I have more questions?

Hind Katkhuda (hind_katkhuda@berkeley.edu) and Fayzan Gowani (fayzan_gowani@berkeley.edu) are here to help!

How do I apply?

We’re so glad you asked! Here’s the application. It consists of background info and three short answer (150 words max) questions.