Testimonials
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As MATS scaled from its first cohort to running programs in Berkeley and London, the operational complexity multiplied. International payments, office leases, employment contracts across multiple jurisdictions — these challenges could have killed the program's momentum given the size of the founding team.
Instead, BERI handled MATS’ operational infrastructure, at times dedicating up to a third of our capacity to MATS support. This allowed the founding team to focus entirely on program development, mentor recruitment, and scholar support. "Without BERI, MATS wouldn't have happened,” MATS leadership noted. The fact that we were able to grow so quickly was significantly boosted by BERI's support."
By 2024, MATS had grown large enough to incorporate independently and filed the necessary paperwork. We consider this a success metric, not a loss. The program is now recognized as one of the premier "end-of-pipeline" training programs for technical AI safety research, with major AI safety organizations actively recruiting from its alumni network.
MATS demonstrates what becomes possible when promising projects get the operational support they need to scale. A reading group became a training program. A training program spawned a research hub. And that hub created a community that is now shaping the field of AI safety.
This is why BERI exists: to ensure that high-impact ideas aren't constrained by operational limitations.