Thirty innovators from around the world gathered in Lahore for two weeks to develop information communication technology-based solutions to development challenges. Participants presented prototype solutions to health, agriculture, and disaster response challenges today at the concluding session of the Lahore International Development Design Summit.
The two-week summit was organized by the International Development Innovation Network, which is led by D-Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Global Development Lab. Of the 30 participants, 12 were Pakistani, while others hailed from Central and South America, North America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and other Asian countries. This year’s innovators, selected through an application process, included experts in software development, electrical engineering, design, health, agriculture, and other fields.
First held at MIT in 2007, International Development Design Summits are hands-on design experiences that bring people together from all walks of life to co-create low-cost, practical innovations to improve the lives of people living in poverty. The Lahore International Development Design Summit is organized by local partners including the Innovation for Poverty Alleviation Lab at Pakistan’s Information Technology University.
Summit organizers worked closely with communities in and around Lahore to identify challenges that could be addressed using information communications technology during the summit. Participants visited these communities frequently throughout the summit to learn about challenges and develop solution prototypes together with community members.
Summit partners will support projects that emerge from the summit with resources, mentorship, and a workspace for innovators looking to take their prototypes to the next level.
For more information on IDDS Lahore, please visit: http://www.idds-lahore.com
