Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson is one of a select number of university presidents attending the World Economic Forum Jan. 23-27 in Davos Klosters, Switzerland.

At a dinner on Jan. 23, Peterson and several other thought leaders from around the world discussed the topic, “The Disruptive University: How are new models of collaboration with universities spurring innovation?”

Peterson and the group considered what prompts research universities to collaborate with each other, business and industry, as well as what universities can do to encourage innovation and spur the economy. They also examined how universities are “reinventing” themselves to be responsive to society’s needs and to address today’s biggest challenges.

Peterson also served as a "rapporteur" for the "From Data Deluge to Data Dividend" session and posted a blog on the World Economic Forum website providing insights on the discussion.

In addition to Peterson, Mustaque Ahamad, professor in the School of Computer Science and cybersecurity expert, will be part of a panel on Jan. 26 focused on cyber risk, which will be moderated by Reuters. Ahamad will be speaking about a joint initiative between the Georgia Tech Information Security Center and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) to develop facts-based, real-time security threat monitoring for industry partners. Ahamad's presence at Davos is also related to Georgia Tech's involvement with the World Economic Forum to create a global cyber risk barometer. 

Renu Kulkarni, founder and executive director of FutureMedia@GT and strategic partners officer at the Institute for People and Technology and the GTRI, will also speak on Jan. 25 about the Digital Media Governance project and facilitate a workshop to consider the future role of Intellectual Property in this domain. On Jan. 23, Kulkarni participated in "The Next 1 Billion Seconds" session that explored opportunities and challenges to the consumption, governance and impact of technology in an increasingly connected world.

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.