Founded by Robotics Institute faculty M. Bernardine Dias in 2004, the TechBridgeWorld research group seeks to define the role of computing technology in sustainable global development. TechBridgeWorld works closely with developing communities to create computing technologies that will help them tackle the challenges they face.

Based at Carnegie Mellon University, TechBridgeWorld employs the knowledge and imagination of our faculty, staff and students in all of our projects. We work with partners in developing communities who understand the needs of their community, and we contribute our technical expertise to help realize their community’s vision of development. We do this by inventing new tools, customizing existing technology, and inspiring the community’s future technologists. Over the past few years we have become a leader in the new academic field of information and communication technologies and development (ICTD). From the beginning we involved both undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of departments in our projects. We offer courses, independent study opportunities, and internships for Carnegie Mellon students to gain real-world insights and first-hand experiences with technology and development issues.

Special activities include development of unique assistive technology tools for supporting education of people with disabilities, such as the Braille Writing Tutor, and a unique ICTD field research internship program for CMU students called iSTEP (innovative Student Technology ExPerience).
Donations to Carnegie Mellon University can be designated specifically to TechBridgeWorld. We welcome gifts at any level from individuals and organizations to support our general research group or specific projects. Individual donors may be interested in our annual grassroots fundraising campaign 100@100 which takes place each fall. 

For more information on giving to TechBridgeWorld at CMU, please contact info@techbridgeworld.org or visit www.techbridgeworld.org/donate.