-
TECHCON 2016
TECHCON 2016
TechCon 2016 will be held in mid-November at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the Boston area. An official Save the Date message will follow.
TechCon 2016 will explore the growing emphasis on the importance of innovation in local communities to solve development challenges. Strong partnerships with community stakeholders ranging from local government officials and NGOs to farmers, mothers, and health workers are key to developing sustainable solutions. TechCon 2016 will spark dynamic conversation and enable rigorous exploration of impactful, community and partnership-centered global development work focused on innovation and research.
Interactive and action-orientated sessions, keynotes, and workshops will explore these topics through programming centered on four themes:
- Enabling Innovation and Building Innovation Ecosystems;
- Measuring Impact and Generating Evidence;
- Producing Actionable Research;
- Next Generation Practitioners and Partnerships.
Innovation Marketplace TechCon 2016 will also host the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN’s) third Innovation Marketplace. The Innovation Marketplace is a competition showcasing the talent of students and young researchers and innovators who are using science, technology, innovation, and partnerships (STIP) to tackle global challenges. This year, teams or individuals can compete in one of two categories: 1) research or 2) products & services. Products & Services include approaches, technologies, devices, or systems with at least an existing prototype by the time of submission. Research includes projects or methodologies that have collected preliminary data by the time of submission. The RAN Team and greater Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) Labs are free to develop and use internal methods of recruiting or funding potential applicants keeping in mind the broader guidelines shared here. In addition to the guidelines, here are a few things to keep in mind;
- All applications will be housed on the Global Innovation Exchange
- The materials turned in for the application will be considered drafts, with the expectation that after being accepted, teams will take the next few months to refine their materials
- This year, we will be adding mentorship and skill-building opportunities for participants in the lead-up to TechCon and during the actual Innovation Marketplace event
- All applications are due by May 31, 2016
Currently, for details please visit Innovation Marketplace landing page on the Exchange. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email Althea Lyness-Fernandez (alynessfernandez@usaid.gov) and Brian Bingham (bbingham@usaid.gov). The team is excited to see what innovations this year’s TechCon brings! Previous stories shared here http://www.ranlab.org/?s=TechCon.
