“Through this network… we will recapture the legacy of science, technology, and innovation as core drivers of development—as well as inspire and support the next generation of development leaders.”
—Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
The Development Impact Lab (DIL) serves as a vibrant hub where new ideas, research, and solutions are generated in response to pressing global challenges. At the foundation of this approach are partnerships and networks that bridge diverse academic disciplines and institutions, government development agencies, NGOs, and the private sector.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
DIL is proud to be a member of USAID’s Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN), a groundbreaking consortium of seven Development Labs that seeks to catalyze development innovation through powerful new science, technology, and engineering approaches and tools. HESN is an initiative of the Agency’s Office of Science and Technology.
USAID Development Labs
- University of California, Berkeley: Development Impact Lab (DIL)
- The College of William and Mary: The Data Center for Development Policy
- Duke University: The Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator at Duke (SEAD)
- Makerere University (Uganda): ResilientAfrica
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The International Development Innovation Network (IDIN)
- Michigan State University: The Global Center for Food Systems Innovation (GCFSI)
- Texas A&M University: The Center on Conflict and Development (C&D Center)
Partners
Technology and Infrastructure in Emerging Regions
Technology and Infrastructure in Emerging Regions (TIER) is a research group at the University of California at Berkeley, investigating the design and deployment of new technologies for emerging regions.
Portland State University
Portland State University is Oregon’s largest and most diverse public university, located in the heart of one of America’s most progressive cities. It offers more than 60 undergraduate and 40 graduate programs, and more than 120 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in diverse fields.
The University of California San Diego
The University of California San Diego is a leading public university, with six undergraduate colleges, five graduate schools, and two professional medical schools. Through their teaching, research and public service, the University of California campuses work together to lead the world in new directions.
Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, aims to create leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world. The University engages itself in high quality teaching and research and provides societal services for the benefit of rural and urban populations, with programs directed toward extending the benefits of improved technology to the society as a whole.
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. UW is one of the oldest and best universities on the West Coast, ranked 24th in the world by Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay is recognized worldwide as a leader in engineering education and research. The vision of the institution is to serve as a fountainhead of new ideas and of innovators in technology and science. Its mission is to create an environment in which new ideas and creativity flourish and from which the research, scholarship, leaders, and innovators of tomorrow emerge.
Makerere University
Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, is Uganda’s largest and second-oldest institution of higher learning. Makerere’s vision is to be the leading institution for academic excellence and innovations in Africa as the continent builds for the future.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is one of the original eight Public Ivy universities and is one of the founding members of the Association of American Universities. It has been ranked among the top five research universities in the US, and among the top 20 universities in the world.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national lab that brings science solutions to the world.
LBNL Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies (LIGTT)
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies (LIGTT) fosters the discovery, development, and deployment of a generation of low-carbon, affordable technologies that will advance sustainable methods to fight global poverty.
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a coalition of development agencies that seeks to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East. The Network focuses on health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building, and the promotion of economic development, without regard to faith, origin, or gender.
The Lemelson Foundation
Established by Jerome Lemelson, one of America’s most prolific inventors, the Lemelson Foundation sparks, sustains and celebrates innovation and the inventive spirit. The Foundation focuses its activities on educating the inventors of tomorrow, supporting innovators from idea to impact, and delivering technologies that improve people’s lives.
IDEO.org
IDEO.org is the non-profit arm of IDEO, a global design consultancy. Through Human-Centered Design projects, IDEO.org is bringing stability, hope, and dignity to communities around the world that are wrestling with poverty.
Intel
Intel, a global leader in computing technology, seeks to uncover and shine a light on those moments of inspiration and innovation that take place quietly, in unlikely places, performed by courageous and resourceful people.
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is comprised of more than 850 PhD researchers pushing the boundaries of computing in multiple research areas, in thirteen research labs around the world.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.
The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
PATH is a Seattle-based international nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant health technology solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poverty and illness.
BRAC
BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, is a global leader in creating opportunity for people whose lives are dominated by extreme poverty, illiteracy, disease, and other handicaps.
Omidyar Network
The Omidyar Network is committed to creating and fostering opportunity for people around the world by investing in for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across areas including microfinance, property rights, government transparency, and social media.