We incubate pilots that use innovative technologies to tackle some of the biggest global development challenges.

Each of our pilots is testing an idea for how technologies can be used to solve development challenges. Every idea comes from an FCDO Pioneer and is implemented by a tech partner on the ground. The Frontier Tech Hub coaches each team to use agile methodologies to test the viability of an idea in quick, lean ways, and gathers learning from across our portfolio to share insights with the rest of the tech and development sectors.

Frontier technology refers to new, emerging capabilities like machine learning, drones, blockchain and the internet of things. But it’s also a term we use for established technologies when they’re being used in ways they haven’t been tried out before.

We believe in innovative thinking rather than specific tech, and we invest in ideas that may offer desperately-needed solutions to global challenges. We fund and manage these initiatives and, crucially, share all of our learnings.

Since 2016, we’ve worked with 90+ FCDO staff on 70 pilots across 33+ countries.