Protocol Institute Network
The Protocol Institute Network (PIN) is a collaborative network of institutional groups actively working on the many challenges of protocolization.
These include university research groups, private corporations, civic and governmental agencies, and nonprofits. PIN is meant to be a network of smaller units actively working on protocol-related projects and initiatives, with a clearly designated point of contact who is committed to being an active participant, rather than the parent organizations themselves.
If you're interested in having your group join the network, please share a few brief details via this form. You are also welcome to browse the PIN channel on our Discord, and contact Venkatesh Rao, Director of Research, with any questions.
University of Messina
Teaching and applied research at the intersection of protocol thinking, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Agentic AI. Areas include Industrial IoT, Software-Defined Robotics, and the Infrastructure Continuum.
Contact: Giovanni Merlino, Associate Professor of Computer Science Engineering
NYU Shanghai
Studies, diagnoses, and builds protocols for collective life in a world of humans, institutions, and autonomous systems. Research areas: Civic Protocols & Collective Governance; Embodied Urban Futures; AI Governance & Agentic Systems; Trust Experience Design.
Contact: Helena Rong, Assistant Professor and Co-Area Head, Interactive Media and Business
Innovation Unit, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Contact: Patrick Atwater, Innovation Manager
Princeton University
Decentralization through Protocolization.
Contact: Andrés Monroy-Hernández, Associate Professor
Spun out of Protocolized, 2026
“The Magazine of Strange Rules” — a protocol fiction magazine about agents, humanoid and otherwise, living in strange rules environments, especially where older systems are breaking down and new ones are still taking shape. Publishes story series, standalone stories and essays, both entirely human-written and crafted with AI. The genre was developed in the fiction Protocolized published, which the magazine now carries on independently.
Contact: Sachin Benny, Editor in Chief