To date, the MIT IDI has established several successful mechanisms for engaging MIT students in international development projects in partnership with communities in developing countries. Existing programs provide opportunities for MIT students to travel to developing countries, work with partner organizations to identify needs and design challenges, and develop technologies that address these issues:

D-Lab is a year-long series of classes and field trips that provide a curriculum to educate students about technical, social, and cultural aspects of development work in selected countries, and then provides the opportunity for field work and implementation. D-Lab has already begun to address community needs in Brazil, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Peru, Tanzania and elsewhere. For more information, visit the D-lab web site at http://d-lab.mit.edu

The IDEAS Competition provides a support system, funding, and a competitive challenge for teamwork and creativity as it encourages students to develop innovative solutions to address community needs. The IDEAS Competition culminates with awards at the end of spring semester, but development grants, mentoring, and staff provide ongoing support for student service projects. See http://web.mit.edu/ideas for more information.

Public Service Fellowships provide stipends that enable students to work full-time on capacity-building community projects all over the world during IAP and summer. Semester-long projects are also possible through this intensive collaborative experience with community organizations worldwide. Projects can be student initiated, or they can be offered by community organizations or donors, so Fellowships can introduce students to new issues and opportunities or allow them to continue projects that they have already begun. More information can be found at http://web.mit.edu/mitpsc/resources/fellowships.

IDI Grants are available to faculty, students, and other MIT community members interested in projects that involve MIT students in international development. The grants may enable faculty interested in incorporating international development projects into their coursework to cover materials, travel, and other expenses; or may enable students to continue work from a class, UROP, or student group to turn ideas and prototypes into real products that serve communities in developing regions. Applications can be submitted year-round. Other grant and fellowship opportunities are available through the MIT Public Service Center, and may also apply to your project: http://web.mit.edu/mitpsc/resources/grants/

The International Development Design Summit (IDDS) is a month-long collaboration that brings together people from around the globe to build technologies for communities in the developing world. In 2009 more than 90 participants came from 21 countries around the world—from Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Central America. It is a conference about innovation, and IDDS believes that innovation thrives in the intersections of disciplines that come from bringing together such an eclectic group. http://www.iddsummit.org/

The Innovations in International Health (IIH) program aims to accelerate the development of global health technologies that address the needs of patients and physicians in resource-poor settings. Working with a network of researchers, doctors, inventors, clinicians, IIH enhances the sustainability of its technologies by bridging the gap between the invention, funding, and clinical trial stages of medical products aimed at patients in the developing world. This has launched a growing portfolio of inventions at different stages of deployment: inhalable vaccine delivery technology, RFID-enhanced disease surveillance systems, paper microfluidic diagnostics for remote populations, and low-cost incubators for rapid tuberculosis detection. Our members' presence in more than 15 countries, including 3 HLab medical innovation sites, gives IIH effective global reach in medical technology transfer, scaling up, and saving lives. http://iih.mit.edu/

The MIT International Development Initiative coordinates the Muhammad Yunus Innovation Challenge to Alleviate Poverty. Each year, the Yunus Challenge highlights a need of the world’s poor and enables MIT students to develop solutions through a variety of mechanisms, including Public Service fellowship grants, the IDEAS competition and D-Lab. The Challenge, named in honor of 2006 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was initiated and is supported by MIT alumnus Mr. Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, benefactor of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT (J-PAL).  More information can be found here: web.mit.edu/idi/yunus.shtml

University to University (U2U) builds on current university-based efforts in a collaborative and targeted approach that forms interdisciplinary student teams to combine the strengths of the member universities and promote capacity-building and sustainable development through community-based research and participatory development.

In January of 2005, students and faculty from the MIT D-lab class traveled to Mwape to establish a relationship with the Chieftainess and begin conversations about a long-term project. During this short trip, students met key stakeholders (community leaders) and identified some community needs based on interviews and their own observations.

Between June and August of 2005, a multidisciplinary group of students and faculty from the MIT, University of Zambia (UNZA), and the Harvard Medical School (HMS), worked together in Zambia and traveled to Mwape where a multiphase project began. http://web.mit.edu/idi/u2u.shtml