Additional Information
For more information about Binational Working Groups, please contact AlianzaMXResearch@ucr.edu.
Interested in submitting a proposal for joint research funding?
Alianza MX will be making an announcement in 2026 on the launch of a new call for proposals for binational working groups.
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Organization
Binational Working Groups offer a platform for UC researchers to engage with academic, government, industry, and civil society partners in Mexico and the United States. Through expanded cross-sector dialogue, they aim to identify critically important issues, develop joint research agendas that strengthen links between academic institutions and the broader communities they serve, and foster action-oriented partnerships that leverage participants’ expertise and proximity to tackle critically important binational challenges.
Working groups build on the progress of the former UC-Mexico Initiative, which had been established in 2014 to promote sustained, strategic, and equal collaboration between the UC system and partners in Mexico and was later integrated into Alianza MX in 2019. The Initiative established five working groups (Arts & Cultures, Education, Energy, Environment, and Health) and a strategic framework for research collaboration with three main objectives:
- Increase productivity, improve competitiveness, and enrich mutual understanding
- Broaden economic opportunities for communities in both nations
- Develop solutions that address common regional issues
Before 2020, research collaboration was supported through a partnership between the UC Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) and Mexico’s National Council of Science & Technology (CONACYT). Since 2025, Alianza MX and the Mexican Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology & Innovation (SECIHTI) have committed to establishing new mechanisms to support binational collaboration, including engagement with Mexico’s public research centers and national laboratories that had previously led collaborative research projects with funding support from UC MEXUS and CONACYT.
Looking to the future, Alianza MX is also developing new strategies to consolidate Binational Working Groups as a platform for UC system-wide engagement with academic partner institutions and other stakeholders, as well as to identify funding opportunities that can help establish a foundation for long-term collaboration.
Activities
Working groups bring together faculty, students, and staff from multiple UC campuses and Mexican academic partner institutions to form binational expert networks on critically important topics in the context of contemporary U.S.-Mexico relations.
Working groups also include wider networks of stakeholders to promote the exchange of knowledge across sectors and discuss future research agendas with the potential for real-world impact.
Working groups meet in-person at Casa de California and maintain a calendar of virtual meetings at regular intervals throughout the year.
Working group participants develop collaborative research proposals, which may be submitted to funding opportunities organized by Alianza MX or by extramural funding sources.
Participants may also generate white papers or policy briefs that guide decision-making by key stakeholders or pursue opportunities in consulting and technical assistance that can shape future research collaboration opportunities.
Structure
During a pilot phase in 2025, UC Alianza MX launched three working groups by providing funding support, convening spaces, and coordination and staffing for launch events. UC principal investigators developed ad hoc proposals for each group, led dialogues on joint research agendas, facilitated engagement with a broad network of participants, and identified key funding opportunities.
In 2026, UC Alianza MX will transition from the pilot phase to a new call for proposals whereby UC principal investigators can apply for funding support to coordinate working groups on an expanded range of topics.
During the pilot phase, working groups identified specific topics for sub-group discussions—led by binational co-chairs—to facilitate the drafting of new research proposals and generate opportunities for engagement with non-academic stakeholders.
During the pilot phase, Alianza MX provided logistical and communications support by sharing information, monitoring progress, reporting on key developments, and maintaining online platforms.
ACTIVE WORKING GROUPS
Zero-Emission Vehicles
This group supports binational collaboration on the transition to zero-emission vehicle technologies. Research seeks to generate and analyze data that helps inform policy decisions and align cross-border strategies. The group also aims to foster partnerships and secure funding that can help accelerate the adoption of new technologies.
Note: This group represents the continuation of the US-Mexico Task Force for Zero-Emission Vehicles, which was supported by Alianza MX from 2021 to 2024.
Coordinator: Francisco Parés, UC Davis
Sub-Groups: Infrastructure, Policy & Regulation, Supply Chains & Technology
Participants ^
Asociación Nacional de Productores de Autobuses, Camiones y Tractocamiones (ANPACT)
California Department of Transportation (CalTrans)
Centro de Tecnología Avanzada (CIATEQ)
Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY)
Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Electroquímica (CIDETEQ)
Centro de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados (CIMAV)
Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada (CIQA)
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF)
El Colegio de Sonora (COLSON)
Fundación México-Estados Unidos para la Ciencia (FUMEC)
Iniciativa Climática de México (ICM)
International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
Megaflux
Secretaría de Desarrollo Agrario, Territorial y Urbano (SEDATU)
Secretaría de Economía (SE)
Secretaría de Energía (SENER)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT)
Secretaría de Economía e Innovación de Baja California (SEI)
Tec de Monterrey
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC)
VEMO
ACTIVE WORKING GROUPS
Energy & Environment
This group promotes binational collaboration on the energy transition and environmental resilience. By convening researchers, policymakers, technical experts, and community stakeholders, the group seeks to develop a joint research agenda capable of informing coordinated actions to support binational goals in sustainable development.
Coordinator: Ethan Elkind, UC Berkeley
Sub-Groups: Efficiency, GHG Emissions Monitoring, Methane Mitigation, Resilient & Just Transition, Energy Storage, Water-Energy Nexus
Participants ^
California Air Resources Board (CARB)
California Energy Commission (CEC)
California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA)
California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE)
Centro de Innovación Aplicada en Tecnologías Competitivas (CIATEC)
Centro de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados (CIMAV)
Centro Nacional de Control de Energía (CENACE)
Climate Resolve
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF)
Comisión Estatal de Energia de Baja California (CEE)
Comisión Nacional para el Uso Eficiente de la Energía (CONUEE)
Gobierno del Estado de Sonora
Iniciativa Climática de México (ICM)
Instituto de Desarrollo Energía y Ambiente (IDEA)
Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo (IMP)
Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático (INECC)
Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL)
Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT)
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
North American Development Bank (NADBank)North American Development Bank (NADBank)
Power Depot
Saavi Energía
Secretaría de Desarrollo Energetico Sustentable de Jalisco (SEDES)
Secretaría del Medio Ambiente de la CDMX (SEDEMA)
Sequoia Climate Foundation
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC)
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Waverley Street Foundation
World Resources Institute México (WRI)
ACTIVE WORKING GROUPS
Agriculture
This group seeks to strengthen binational collaboration in agricultural research, innovation, and practice to support more resilient, sustainable, and equitable food systems across the United States and Mexico.
Coordinator: Federico Castillo, UC Berkeley
Sub-Groups: Energy, Labor, Production, Technology, Water
Participants ^
Agrobotanix
Asociación Nacional de Usuarios de Riego (ANUR)
Better World Group
California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA)
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (CIAD)
Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco (CIATEJ)
Centro de Tecnología Avanzada (CIATEQ)
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noreste (CIBNOR)
Centro Mexicano de Ecología Industrial (CMEI)
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF)
El Colegio de Michoacán (COLMICH)
Consejo Nacional de Agua (CONAGUA)
Cooperativa Biodiverciudad
Cubebid
Grow Any Plant Yourself (GAPY)
Instituto de Ecología (INECOL)
Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE)
Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN)
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Karma Verde Fresh
Red Agrovoltaica Mexicana (RAMe)
Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER)
Secretaría de Economía (SE)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT)
Sistema.bio
SoilFix
Strategink
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC)
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco (UAM-X)
Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (UAS)
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR)
UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)