News & Stories
News & Stories Filtered BY
Legatum Center welcomes the inaugural Foundry Fellows
The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT recently introduced the inaugural cohort of Legatum Foundry Fellows. Hailing from eight countries, these 13 entrepreneurs have grown ventures operating in nine different markets across Africa. Having pioneered innovations in health care, fintech, education, and more, the Foundry Fellows are dedicated to transforming systems and improving […]
Innovating delivery of financial services for Asian banks
The MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node recently hosted its annual fintech entrepreneurship program, called MIT Entrepreneurship and Fintech Integrator (MEFTI). Designed for student innovators from MIT and Hong Kong, the program offers a real-world lens into Asia’s burgeoning financial services sector. Program partners this year included the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, DBS Bank, and WeBank, […]
Ingenuity, design, and human spirit
The Azraq refugee camp in Jordan hosts about 35,000 people displaced by the Syrian civil war, who live in rows of small white steel sheds. Several years ago, a camp resident named Majid Al-Kanaan undertook a project to combat the visual and existential monotony of camp life. Using clay and stones from camp terrain, he […]
Improving management everywhere
In the Indian state of Karnataka, many smallholder farmers have traditionally sold their products to intermediaries — wholesale traders who turn around and resell the goods for a quick profit. Much of the dealing between farmers and those traders has occurred locally, and farmers do not typically know what should be a “fair” price for […]
At the crossroads of language, technology, and empathy
Rujul Gandhi’s love of reading blossomed into a love of language at age 6, when she discovered a book at a garage sale called “What’s Behind the Word?” With forays into history, etymology, and language genealogies, the book captivated Gandhi, who as an MIT senior remains fascinated with words and how we use them. Growing […]
Refugee learners aim to lift up their communities
The MIT Refugee Action Hub (ReACT) recently celebrated the graduation of its third Certificate in Computer and Data Science cohort in an online ceremony. ReACT is a yearlong online learning program that creates education-to-employment pathways for talented refugees and displaced populations. The graduating cohort of 50 learners represented 22 countries worldwide — by far the […]
Punishment for the people
By some lights, it seems curious how authoritarian leaders can sustain their public support while limiting liberties for citizens. Yes, it can be hard to overthrow an entrenched leader; that does not mean people have to like their ruling autocrats. And yet, many do. After all, authoritarian China consistently polls better on measures of trust […]
Call for Proposal: Skoltech-MIT Pilot Grants 2022
MIT Skoltech Program 2022 Call for Pilot Grant Proposals After the 2020 successful round of pilot grants, the MIT Skoltech Program is calling for another round of proposals from MIT Principal Investigators from any of the Institute’s schools, departments, laboratories, or centers. The pilot grants are designed to seed and support idea generation for MIT […]
Call for Proposal: MIT Sloan Latin America Office 2021-2022
The MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO) is excited to announce the call for seed fund proposals for the 2021-2022 academic year. The main goal of the MSLAO is to promote long- term collaboration between MIT and Latin America. The maximum amount of funding per project is $25,000 and we plan on distributing up to […]
MIT receives $15M USAID award to promote research and innovation at universities in Latin America
MIT has received a $15 million award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), announced today at a ceremony in Guatemala City. USAID granted the award to fund the Achieving Sustainable Partnerships in Innovation, Research, and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE) program. The award will support a collaboration between MIT, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), […]