Ten years
of Frontier Tech
Over the past decade, the Frontier Tech Hub has been on the cutting edge of emerging tech uses for development and diplomacy, supported by key moments of evidence-driven curiosity.
2016
2020
2025
Hold on though, because this isn’t the first Top Tech List the Hub has published…
Over the past decade, the Frontier Tech Hub has been on the cutting edge of emerging tech uses for development and diplomacy, supported by key moments of evidence-driven curiosity.
Since 2016, we have tested 91 solutions across 30 countries, building an expanding portfolio to put each of these critical moments of insight to the test in lean, agile ways, reflected in the timeline below.
Hold on though, because this isn’t the first Top Tech List the Hub has published…
Over the past decade, the Frontier Tech Hub has been on the cutting edge of emerging tech uses for development and diplomacy, supported by key moments of evidence-driven curiosity.
Ten years ago, the Hub was set up to respond to a milestone piece of research into Ten Frontier Technologies for International Development, to test and learn about them in the real world.
Five years later, we surfaced and published the Top Ten Frontier Technologies for Climate Action, calling for Pioneers to build out our collective learnings around their use.
Since 2016, we have tested 91 solutions across 30 countries, building an expanding portfolio to put each of these critical moments of insight to the test in lean, agile ways, reflected in the timeline below.
And now, we’re publishing this third list with the next Frontier: the Top Nine Underhyped Frontier Technologies for International Development.
Amidst the buzz of AI, self-driving cars and robotics* truly game-changing technologies are being overlooked.
The Frontier Tech Hub has been scanning the horizon for the breakthroughs hiding in plain sight—the innovations that could make a real difference but rarely make headlines.
The 9 technologies below hold real potential to shape a more sustainable, resilient future in the face of a rapidly changing development landscape and the relentless threats of climate change. They’re the complex, unsexy solutions that can power off-grid communities, optimise water cycles and speed up the shift to renewables.
It’s time to turn our attention away from the traditional hype cycle and bring these technologies into the spotlight. Because the real frontier isn’t about what’s trending—it’s about what can quietly, sustainably transform lives.
*We’re excited about robotics too, but we want to make them work for low-resource settings. Read more here.
Are you ready to explore the Nine Underhyped Frontier Technologies?
We selected a list of nine technologies that we believe have great potential to change the world for the better. They are not only underhyped technologies but also proof that a different form of development is possible, one rooted in ecological balance and community worldviews also known as Post-development. We see these technologies as potential high-impact tools that, when used correctly, could improve positive dynamics that exist in international cooperation and further improve positive impact.
Scroll through all nine technologies and click through to learn more
