Dear Friends of HESN,

It is our pleasure to share with you happenings in the HESN Labs and beyond as summer is just beginning to ramp up.  This issue is jam-packed with funding and job opportunities, updates, and exciting developments from HESN, the Global Development Lab, USAID, and our partners.
 
In case you missed it, we recently put out a call to submit ideas for sessions at TechCon hosted, this year in Boston November 10-12. The deadline is June 24, we look forward to your creative submissions! And just a reminder, the window for your chance to partner with us for TechCon is closing soon!

Finally, we'd like to welcome our 20 HESN Interns to USAID!  
 
If you have an opportunity or story that you'd like featured in the next newsletter, please let us know by emailing dsomers@usaid.gov.
 
Sincerely,
 
The HESN Team  
Call for Session Proposals
You're invited to submit proposals for sessions that will engage participants in discussion, spark provocative debate, and encourage hands-on learning at TechCon 2016! Proposals to present must be submitted here by 5:00 PM EST June 24.
Congratulations to our Innovators!
Congratulations to two of our innovators, who won the DAI Innovation into Action Challenge , a global competition designed to find and support products and services that will help people in developing nations tackle social and economic development problems. SEAD 2013 Cohort member ClickMedix , as well as DIL and CITE innovator Solar Sister will receive $20,000 in seed funding, an opportunity to field-test their product or service on a DAI project, and a tailored package of coaching and technical assistance. 
Updates from HESN Development Labs

2016 AidData Summer Fellows
AidData
, based at the College of William & Mary, has announced their 3.0 Core Research Release, their most comprehensive dataset tracking international development finance. Additionally, they share lessons learned and look ahead to the second wave of their Omnibus Survey. They also just published two Working Paper entries: "What Determines Earmarked Funding to International Development Organizations?" and "Foreign Aid and the Intensity of Violent Armed Conflict." You can read them, and other entries in the Working Paper series, here.This summer, the 2016 AidData Summer Fellow cohort is headed to various countries to conduct data-related analysis and support. Finally, they explore if better tracking could help bridge the SDGs funding gap.

MIT's Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE) share 8 Best Practices in DIY Product Evaluation. Next a story about how solar pumping in the Little Rann of Kutch is having a big impact for small farmers. Last but not least, a blog post by a participant of a CITE evaluation of water pumps in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Building a business with small-scale farmers
The International Development Innovation Network (IDIN), also at MIT, introduce their Summer Research Fellows, who will conduct research identifying, mapping, and scaling local innovation this summer. They share key challenges and recommendations to help enable innovation ecosystems in emerging markets. Next, they highlight International Development Design Summit (IDDS) participants who are helping build a business with small-scale farmers in Zambia. In other IDDS news,
IDDS Lahore project reports are now available and they also announced the locations and themes of the 2017 Summits! Finally, IDDS participants JustMilk reflects on their growth and lessons learned in anticipation of their first clinical investigation.

The Center on Conflict and Development (ConDev), based at Texas A&M University, Student Media Grant winner Ally Krupar conducted research in Dadaab, Kenya to better understand training that intends to empower women learners in the Diaspora-specifically, Somali women living in refugee camps around Dadaab. Recently, a Congressional delegation, including House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway, visited AgriCorps/4-H sites in Ghana. Finally, ConDev's June newsletter is now available with even more updates.

Emily Kumpel, representing NextDrop, accepts an award in 2011 to scale up the team's pilot study.
The 
Development Impact Lab (DIL) at the University of California ­- Berkeley just wrapped up their 10th annual Big Ideas@Berkeley competition. A former winner, NextDrop's work in India was featured using mobile phones to alert households waiting for water. The Journal of Development Engineering (DevEng) recently announced that their first issue is available on ScienceDirect. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) highlights DIL's Rural Electric Power Project, and Dev Eng Student Emily Woods and Sanivation. Former DIL Postdoc, Imran Ali, argues how academic-humanitarians collaborations can help the refugee crisis. In September 2016, DIL will host its bi-annual State of the Science Conference on "The Science of Scaling: Building Evidence to Advance Anti-Poverty Innovations." Learn more and submit an abstract here.

The Global Center for Food Systems Innovation (GCFSI) at Michigan State University has been churning out some fantastic stories in their Food Fix blog. They talk about using cell phones to enable African beekeepers to share data and improve honey production. They share a bean thresher innovation that's powered by bicycle that helps get farmers to the fields in Zambia. Food system innovators are studying if people in Kenya are more likely to buy flour that has been certified free of the toxic fungus aflatoxin, meanwhile researchers are looking into turning farm pests like grasshoppers into a protein source for livestock and humans. A researcher studies limiting factors to safe drinking water and a cloud-based data-aggregating platform called PhotosynQ is being used to battle malnutrition, drought, and crop disease. The next iteration of a frugal innovation program is getting support from early participant. In non-Food Fix news, GCFSI researcher, Sieglinde Snapp, recently published a new article on an innovative technology for smallholder maize system: doubled up legume rotation. Finally, GCFSI launched their new website!

The RAN Kungula-Thresh It Innovation
The ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) based in Makerere University, Uganda, recently shared their
Bulletin with the latest news from their Labs. RAN's Eastern Africa Resilience Innovation Lab Kungula-Thresh It Innovation was selected for the second cycle of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program. These Innovators will benefit from a 12-week online interactive training course with the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program.




Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator at Duke (SEAD) takes a look at lessons learned to scaling social ventures through partnerships. They use SEAD Cohort innovator, ayzh as a case study for using partnerships to overcome market barriers. SEAD Innovator ZanaAfrica featured in an article on menstrual issues around the world. Next, just after Mother's Day, we celebrate mothers globally with SEAD Innovators . A look at SEAD innovators and how they're improving children's healthcare worldwide. Finally, meet the HESN summer interns!
What We're Reading
Remote sensor

Broken Pumps and Promises, authored by by Professor Evan Thomas of Portland State University, a DIL partner, casts new light on the ways of making intervention efforts in global conservation and development successful. Check on Evan's blog post on the topic.
Here is a roundup of articles and resources that have been circulating through our Network:
Humans of IDIN

 
  • Seeking Solutions from the Unusual Suspects (Huffington Post)
  • Out of Boston, three innovators on a quest to provide drinkable water (Boston Globe)
  • What Kenya Can Teach The U.S. About Menstrual Pads (Goats and Soda)
  • Stories from IDIN's Humans of IDIN (Instagram)
  • How Motorcyclists Navigate Lesotho's Mountains to Deliver Health Care (CityLab)
     

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    Funding and Fellowship

    Global Innovation Exchange

    The Innovation Exchange is a marketplace that connects funders, innovators, users and solution seekers and gives them the tools to maximize their ability to meet the largest, most pressing development challenges. Use the Exchange to find, share and help breakthrough innovations; search for funding; connect with other resources to test and scale innovations; and stay on top of the latest trends in development innovation. Create a profile to see how the Exchange can help you get started.

    Applications for the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) Fund are now open! This new funding competition aims to source, support, and feature the most effective, high-impact college student entrepreneurs and innovators worldwide by providing critical, early-stage seed funding. Selected scholars will receive funding to advance projects that fit CGI's Commitments to Action model and an invitation to attend CGI U 2017. Pre-applications must be submitted by June 27. Apply here.

    Since 2014, Bloomberg has been hosting a yearly conference on applications of data science to problems related to the social good. This forum has enabled participants from academia, industry, government and NGOs to share insights and progress on applying modern machine learning and data science methods to problems in public and nonprofit sectors.They particularly encourage submissions in the following areas: justice and fairness, economic development, security and safety, and public service delivery. Abstract due July 1. Apply here.

    Does your university department need affordable lab equipment for teaching and research? Seeding Labs is a US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping talented scientists in the developing world conduct life-changing research. You are invited to apply now for the Instrumental Access program, which makes high-quality laboratory equipment and supplies more affordable to universities in low- and middle-income countries. Please see the Request for Applications here. The deadline to apply is July 29.

    Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab, a coordinated effort of four universities, have joined forces in creating the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists. Both Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab recognize that global economic health is dependent upon a vibrant research community and we need to incentivize our best and brightest to continue in their chosen fields of research. Application deadline: August 1. Apply here.

    DIV holds a year-round grant competition for innovative ideas, pilots and tests them using cutting-edge analytical methods, and scales solutions that demonstrate widespread impact and cost-effectiveness. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Apply here.

    The Global Innovation Fund (GIF) invests in social innovations that aim to improve the lives and opportunities of millions of people in the developing world. Through grants and risk capital, it supports breakthrough solutions with strong potential for social impact at a large scale. Financial support ranges from $50,000 to $15 million. GIF is open and accepting applications on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply here.

    Careers

    HESN is seeking up to 2 Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) intern for the Fall 2016-Spring 2017 school year! Learn more about the HESN position here. VSFS is the largest virtual internship program in the world. U.S. students contribute about 10 hours a week to their government, doing real work and gaining real experience in the process. Interested applicants should visit   USAJobs.gov between July 2 - 22 indicating your top three projects from the full list of options.

    Would you like to be part of solving some of the world's greatest challenges for development? Now is a good chance for you to contribute. USAID is now recruiting Grand Challenge Application Evaluators for the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge for Development. Apply by July 13. More details here.

    Each month, IDIN shares dozens of opportunities with its Network members, students, and other interested individuals, many of which you can find posted here.

    The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The program is currently recruiting a Senior Antimicrobial Resistance Technical Advisor. More details here.

    AidData is hiring a Communications Associate and Junior Program Manager to join their team.
    Get to know our HESN Development Labs!
    The Higher Education Solutions Network is a complex and growing ecosystem of universities, innovators, private sector partners, government organizations, NGOs, and more. The best way to keep up with the unique work of each HESN Development Lab is to visit their websites and subscribe to their newsletters. 

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