TECHCON 2014
UNIVERSITY INNOVATORS TRANSCEND ACADEMIC SILOS TO PRESENT
CUTTING-EDGE COLLABORATIONS FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT
By U.S. Agency for International Development
Powered by the idea that science and
technology together with academic curiosity
can help find transformative solutions to
development challenges, over 350 student
innovators, faculty researchers, development
experts, investors, and thought leaders met
November 8 - November 10 in the Bay Area
for the Higher Education Solutions Network’s
TechCon 2014.
TechCon 2014 was the second annual
meeting of the Higher Education Solutions
Network (HESN), a program launched in 2012
by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) and located in USAID’s
new U.S. Global Development Lab. Through
HESN, USAID has created a network of
eight Development Labs that harness the
ingenuity and passion of university students,
researchers, and faculty to incubate and
develop new science and tech-based
solutions to global challenges in areas such
as food security, health, poverty, conflict, and
climate change.
partnership—one that stretches from
California to Massachusetts, from Texas
to Uganda, united by a single purpose:
to mobilize the energy and ingenuity of a
new generation of students, inventors, and
entrepreneurs—and harness the power of
science, technology, and innovation to deliver
transformational results in development.
These efforts are ensuring that hungry
children have nutritious meals; that rural
entrepreneurs have access to power; and
that smallholder farmers have strong,
resilient harvests,” said Rajiv Shah, USAID
Administrator.
The three-day summit, themed “Connecting
to Accelerate Global Development,” featured
an Innovation Marketplace where young
innovators showcased their work, a “Shark
Tank” styled pitch competition, and keynotes
that both challenged and inspired attendees
to identify new approaches and solutions
to the development challenges we face.
The annual meeting also served to further
strengthen and cultivate this emerging
global network of solvers, all of whom are
committed to changing development.
Ticora Jones, HESN Division Chief said,
“Bridging the divide between invention and
global impact is one of the most challenging
issues of our time. It’s like running a
marathon, while trying to combine strangers
and friends to run with you along the way.
Connecting individuals and communities with
diverse viewpoints, resources, and skills is
incredibly hard, but absolutely essential to
cross the finish line.”
HESN’s eight university-led Development
Labs regularly manage projects in
collaborations with networks that include
other universities, innovators, investors,
and institutions in developing countries.
Each Development Lab has a distinct focus,
ranging from food security to global health.
Jordan Kellerstrass (at front), a PhD student in Computer Science,
provides a demonstration of the Mezuri, a hardware and software
system for end-to-end management of data from development
interventions. (Photo courtesy of Noah Berger)
“This Network represents something new
and especially excitin