Partners

Founding Partners

Applied Materials

Applied Materials, presenting sponsor of The Tech Awards, is a global nanomanufacturing technology leader with a broad portfolio of equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. With revenues of nearly $10 billion, Applied Materials employs approximately 14,000 people in 15 countries around the world. Since the inception of The Tech Awards, Applied Materials has proudly contributed each year to increasing the reach and impact of this global program. Applied Materials is the presenting sponsor and the founding sponsor of The Tech Awards program and The Tech Awards Network, a suite of resources that is provided to the Laureates to assist them in extending the reach of their life-changing applications of technology. Applied Materials also sponsors the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award, named after the company's Chair Emeritus. appliedmaterials.com

The Center for Science, Technology, and Society

The Tech Museum and the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University share the goal of fostering understanding and awareness of the benefits of technology for the common good. Working together, they interpret and communicate new applications of technology to the citizens of our rapidly shrinking planet. The Center conducts the judging process and chronicles the decisions of the international panels of judges. scu.edu/sts

Global Outreach Partners

Social Enterprise Alliance

A social enterprise is an organization or venture that achieves its primary social or environmental mission using business methods. Social enterprises build a more just, sustainable world by applying market-based strategies to today's social problems. The Social Enterprise Alliance is the only member organization in North America to bring together the diverse field of social enterprise. It serves as advocate for the field, hub of information and education, and builder of a vibrant and growing community of social enterprises. se-alliance.org

The Millennium Project

The Millennium Project communicates through its network of 46 Nodes around the world of combination of UN organizations, governments, corporations, universities, and non-profit organizations to disseminate information about The Tech Awards. The concept for The Tech Awards and the five universal categories were inspired in part by The Millennium Project's annual State of the Future reports. The 1999 report recommended that award recognition is an effective way to accelerate scientific breakthroughs and technological applications to improve the human condition. http://www.millennium-project.org

United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assists with the global outreach of The Tech Awards. Through their partnership, the UNDP helps identify nominees within their network of 166 countries and disseminates The Tech Awards results, allowing people around the world to benefit. undp.org/

United Nations Secretary-General's Office

The Secretary-General's Office has extended support and encouragement to the The Tech Awards program, and The Tech Museum is accredited as a Major Group for the World Summit, and effort of the UN Division for Sustainable Development. un.org/

World Bank Institute

The World Bank Institute (WBI) helps inform the global community about The Tech Awards through its Global Development Learning Network and its extensive world-wide association of partners. The WBI is the capacity development arm of the World Bank, and helps countries share and apply global and local knowledge to meet development challenges. WBI's capacity development programs are designed to build skills among groups of individuals involved in performing tasks, and also to strengthen the organizations in which they work, and the sociopolitical environment in which they operate. wbi.worldbank.org/

Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services works through its international network of offices to help identify and nominate potential Laureates. In addition, they assist in the promulgation of the Laureates' work to expand the impact of their technological innovations. Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in 98 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. crs.org

Ashoka

Ashoka is the largest association of social entrepreneurs in the world—men and women with system—changing solutions for the world's most urgent social problems. Since its founding over 29 years ago, Ashoka has provided start-up financing, professional support services, and connections to a global network of more than 2,000 leading social entrepreneurs - elected as Ashoka Fellows—in 70 countries. Ashoka is now a professional home for all entrepreneurial individuals, from the business and social sectors, and a platform for the growing global network of people dedicated to changing the world. For more information, visit ashoka.org

NetHope

NetHope, which started in 2001, is a new-generation information technology collaboration of 26 leading international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) representing over $33 billion (U.S.) of humanitarian development, emergency response, and conservation programs serving millions of beneficiaries in more than 180 countries. Through its Innovation for Development initiative, NetHope will work to publicize information about The Tech Awards and help identify candidate projects. nethope.org

The CORE Group

Established in 1997, CORE Group is a membership association of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of children and women in developing countries through collaborative NGO action and learning. Collectively, CORE Group's 47 member organizations work in more than 180 countries. CORE Group offers one-stop access to this network of skilled and effective implementers of maternal and child health programs. coregroup.org/

National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI)

The National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) advances learning opportunities for all students, with a special focus on individuals with disabilities. Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education, NCTI offers technical guidance to facilitate growth and sustainability of assistive and learning tools by fostering innovative technology solutions. nationaltechcenter.org/

Opportunity International

Opportunity International is committed to solving global poverty. Serving approximately 1.2 million poor entrepreneurs in 28 developing countries, Opportunity International is a pioneer in offering small business loans, savings, insurance and training in basic business practices to women and men living in chronic poverty. Founded in 1971 as one of the first microcredit lenders, Opportunity International provides small loans - sometimes as little as $50 - and other services that allow poor entrepreneurs to start or expand a business, develop a steady income, provide for their families and create jobs for their neighbors. Opportunity International maintains a network of offices across the globe, with U.S. offices in Oak Brook, Ill. and San Diego. For more information, visit opportunity.org.

The Global Development Commons

The Global Development Commons is an office within the United States Agency for International Development that promotes innovations for international development through knowledge sharing, partnerships, and collaborative problem-solving. Identifying and fostering innovations through open approaches can improve our ability to deliver on our core mission at USAID. We seek to enable any citizen of this world to co-create solutions to common problems because no single actor can solve today's global challenges. Find us at usaid.gov/commons.