Addressing complex global challenges through the Frontier Tech Hub

Harnessing Frontier Technologies to tackle global crises and inequality

The world is facing a series of interlinked, complex crises that are disproportionally affecting the most vulnerable people and places on the planet. At the same time, human progress has never been so fast,with emerging and frontier technologies becoming increasingly important, with the potential to maximize positive change for people and the planet. These technologies have created significant breakthroughs already and are providing bold new ways of addressing these complex crises.

From reactive adoption to proactive exploration of Frontier Technologies

Country leaders are struggling to keep up with this pace of change. Drones, Generative AI, Robotics, Gene Editing and many other new(er) technologies are growing at an exponential rate, with more research, investment and application than ever before. Low- and middle-income countries are especially at risk of being left behind, without creating a clearer bridge between this technological revolution and development practice. Working with these technologies, understanding them, and getting ahead of them, will enable change agents to become ‘proactive explorers’ in frontier technology, enabling them to be deployed for successful positive impact. in frontier technology, enabling them to be deployed for successful positive impact.

What’s needed to bridge the gap between Frontier Technologies and development practice

While there are many experts exploring cutting-edge technology, their work often fails to drive the effective application of frontier technologies in lower-income countries because:

1. It’s impossible to know what you don’t know – Actors developing strategies for addressing global development challenges lack exposure to the potential of frontier technologies, have insufficient knowledge and experience in applying technologies and very limited connections with technology solution actors to leverage these capabilities.
2. It’s hard to select the right tech – There are many and increasing frontier technologies and potential applications.  For practitioners in the field, it is difficult to know which frontier technologies can be effectively used to address global development challenges, and how to manage the risks of action associated with this uncertainty.
3. In complex and challenging contexts, theory alone is not enough – Applying new technologies effectively requires a grounded understanding of how the technology interacts with the realities of the context, and how to integrate both together to enable successful outcomes.
4. Research is only valuable when it’s accessible and usable – Learning must go beyond academic insight to provide practical knowledge that’s clear, relevant, and actionable for those developing real-world solutions.

The ‘go to’ Hub for the practical application of frontier technologies in development contexts

The R4D-led Frontier Tech Hub receives funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to scope, test and adopt Frontier Technologies, including:

• Our tech explorations and Fieldtrip to the Future immersive learning enables development funders and country leaders to receive new information on the latest frontier technologies and immerse themselves in hands-on training which allows them to explore future scenarios in frontier technology related to their field of work. Examples of our work include our recently released Underhyped Technologies report and our Fieldtrip to the Future on AI and Diplomacy.
• Our testing and supporting early-stage Frontier Tech innovations has supported over 75 pilot projects across more than 30 countries, collaborating with 95 FCDO staff members. Each pilot originates from an FCDO Pioneer — a staff member who proposes an innovative idea to address a pressing development challenge in their context. These ideas are implemented by various tech and development partners, and are supported by the Hub through funding, coaching, and agile methodologies. The Hub emphasizes rapid, lean testing to assess the viability of frontier technologies in real-world settings. The FT Hub has also conducted deep country immersion in Colombia and Ethiopia, using co-creation workshops and facilitation to develop new pilot ideas to test. All learnings from these pilots are systematically gathered and shared, contributing valuable insights to the broader tech and development sectors. Some notable pilots include:
  • Ampersand introduced electric motorcycles into the Rwandan moto taxi market to decrease transportation costs for customers, improve livelihoods for drivers, and reduce carbon emissions.
  • FOUND used drones, sensors and machine learning in Mexico to detect clandestine graves — sites often linked to organized crime and disappearances — to help families locate missing loved ones
  • Bioplastic Future retrofit conventional plastic production facilities in Nepal to produce compostable bioplastics, while building awareness and demand in Kathmandu’s plastics market and generating new green manufacturing jobs.

For more information about FT Hub pilots, visit our website.

• Our adoption work includes the AI Sandbox and our new AI Opportunity Scans and Tech Adoption Journeys, which aim to support the FCDO and other development actors uptake these frontier technologies and integrate them into their programs, policies or organizations. The AI Sandbox is a place where FCDO advisors can create their own AI tools for deployment. Through this process, FCDO has built two tools, which are being piloted and tested within their organization: DUNE, an AI agent to support responsible and effective use of Generative AI and DevTracker, a Large Language Model (LLM) to help FCDO staff access, analyse and learn from business cases, annual reviews and project completion reports. Our AI Opportunity Scans support FCDO staff to understand how they can utilise AI applications for impact in their work, and our Tech Adoption Journeys explore how FCDO programmes could bring in impactful frontier technologies, or the infrastructure that supports the development and deployment of frontier technologies.

Since it was launched in 2016, the Frontier Tech Hub has demonstrated the feasibility of applying frontier technologies in diverse contexts and has gathered significant learning on what works and what does not, while supporting local innovators to scale their work.

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