Ideas and action at the intersection of technology and development.
Building the foundations for technology-led development
Technology can create new possibilities. But technology alone does not create development. Progress also depends on the institutions, people and systems around it: the ability to identify opportunities, connect knowledge with practice, bring the right stakeholders together and turn ideas into sustained action. Our mission is to help strengthen these foundations in developing countries. We do this by understanding how economies and innovation ecosystems are changing, sharing useful ideas and concepts, and working with institutions to develop practical approaches that can be applied and scaled.
Our current focus
Universities can be powerful engines of innovation.
They bring together talent, research, infrastructure and ideas. But having these assets does not automatically create a functioning innovation ecosystem.
Across developing countries, significant investment has gone into innovation hubs, entrepreneurship centres and other infrastructure. The next challenge is strengthening the institutional systems that allow these resources to work effectively and consistently.
The University Ecosystem Building Programme is our response.
We work with university faculty, innovation teams and student societies to strengthen the systems behind innovation — from identifying opportunities and engaging ecosystem partners to designing programmes, managing projects, developing governance and measuring progress.
The programme is designed around the resources universities already have, with an emphasis on building repeatable systems that can continue beyond a single intervention or funding cycle.
What the programme helps universities build
The aim is not simply to deliver another entrepreneurship programme.
It is to leave universities with stronger ways of working.
Participating universities will develop practical systems and resources to support innovation activity, including clearer pipelines for projects and opportunities, stronger stakeholder networks, better programme and project management, monitoring and evaluation processes, and an operating playbook that supports continuity.
Over time, these foundations can help universities play a stronger role in connecting research, technology, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity within their wider ecosystems.
We would like to hear from universities, funders and ecosystem organisations interested in supporting or participating in the work.
We are also open to conversations around other programmes, research collaborations and ideas that sit at the intersection of technological innovation and economic development.
Insights from the frontier
The Emerging Frontier began as a space for exploring the economic changes taking place across emerging and frontier markets.
Our work has covered subjects ranging from fintech and trade to energy, investment, industrial development and the changing role of technology in different economies. The common thread is an interest in understanding how change happens — and what creates meaningful economic opportunity.
That remains an important part of what we do.
Through short-form content, research and longer analysis, we explore developments at the intersection of technology and economic development and make those ideas useful to a wider audience.