At TechCon, science-based solutions for world issues
This weekend, an MIT-hosted conference convened inventive minds from around the world to learn about — and collaborate on — actionable research and innovations that can help solve global issues, such as poverty, infectious disease, and food security. Hosted by MIT and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN), the TechCon (Technical Convening) conference brought to campus more than 100 researchers, students, entrepreneurs, innovators, development experts, and representatives of government and the private sector. From Thursday through Saturday, participants attended more than 30 sessions and workshops that focused on four general areas: enabling and building innovation ecosystems, producing actionable research, measuring impact and generating evidence, and creating the next generation of practitioners and partnerships. There was also a competition for research and startup teams, from MIT and around the world, that are developing innovative methods and technologies to fix global problems. A primary aim of the conference,...