Tech4Dev
Tech4Dev is a grant programme jointly funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and EPFL. It connects real-world challenges identified by NGOs and international organisations with EPFL laboratories contributing their scientific expertise to co-develop innovative solutions.
By sourcing unmet needs from the field and matching them with the right research expertise, Tech4Dev helps co-create context-adapted, sustainable solutions with strong potential for long-term impact.
A Renewed Programme for Greater Impact
After a first edition (2019–2023), Tech4Dev’s new phase — launched in 2024 and now hosted at EPFL’s EssentialTech Centre — adopts a phased, de-risking approach to help promising ideas evolve from locally identified needs to tested, scalable solutions.
Tech4Dev’s Approach
- Starts from field needs – challenges are sourced directly from NGOs and local stakeholders.
- Builds bridges between labs and the field – connecting scientific expertise with real-world impact.
- Uses a step-by-step de-risking funnel – validating ideas progressively to ensure feasibility and sustainability.
- Puts partnership at the core – fostering transparency, co-ownership, and shared learning at every stage.
Who It’s For?
NGOs & International Organisations
Tech4Dev is for you if you want to:
- Access world-class scientific expertise and labs
- Co-design solutions adapted to your operational context
- Strengthen local ownership and sustainability
- Receive funding, mentoring, and matchmaking support
EPFL Researchers
Tech4Dev is for you if you want to:
- Apply your expertise to real-world, field-driven problems
- Work with NGOs and practitioners from Low and Middle Income Countries.
- Receive funding, mentoring, and matchmaking support
- Collaborate with researchers from other universities.
Donors & Philanthropic Partners
Tech4Dev is for you if you want to:
- Advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through practical, locally rooted action.
- Support projects co-developed by NGOs and researchers for lasting relevance and sustainability.
- Help turn research into real-world impact where it is most needed.
How It Works – The Tech4Dev Funnel
- Needs Submission – NGOs submit field-based challenges.
- Matchmaking – The Tech4Dev team identifies relevant expertise among EPFL labs and helps form joint NGO–research teams (cohorts).
- Exploration Grant – An international Expert Jury awards Exploration Grants to the most promising concepts, enabling a four-month phase of context analysis and feasibility assessment.
- Prototyping Grant – Successful teams receive a Prototyping Grant to co-design and test their technology solution in real-world conditions.
- Pilot Grant – The most advanced projects can access a Pilot Grant to deploy and validate their solution in operational settings.
Each phase receives dedicated funding, mentoring, and evaluation to ensure that only the most relevant and sustainable projects advance.
Projects move through the funnel step by step, with tailored support and evaluation at each stage. Not all will advance to the end — but every team benefits from mentoring, visibility, and valuable experience along the way.
Our Commitment
The Tech4Dev team is dedicated to:
- Identifying the most promising innovation leads
- Facilitating collaboration between NGOs and EPFL labs
- Providing hands-on coaching and capacity-building workshops
- Sharing knowledge and best practices for impact and scalability
Get Involved
Are you an NGO or IO?
Bring your challenge and co-create a solution that fits your context.
-> How to apply
Are you an EPFL researcher?
Join the journey! Let us know if your lab would like to be contacted for upcoming opportunities to connect science with impact.
Are you a donor or foundation?
Support innovations that improve lives and strengthen resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Contact us!
Nathalie holds an M.A. in Social Sciences. She has a rich background in humanitarian work and social impact projects, working with NGOs and international organizations. She has led diverse teams across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Balkans, Central America, and Switzerland, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and building cross-cultural partnerships to develop impactful solutions that advance societal progress. Her core areas of expertise include post-crisis recovery, gender-based violence, and forced migration.In her previous roles, Nathalie worked with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva on anti-human trafficking interventions and served as an independent consultant specialising in strategic planning for humanitarian initiatives. She also contributed to socio-economic integration programs for refugees in Switzerland. Nathalie joined EssentialTech in 2021 as Head of Stakeholder relations and Fundraising before taking the Head of the Sustainable Development Division in 2023, Nathalie leads interdisciplinary innovation projects that strategically leverage technology to develop sustainable solutions for vulnerable communities. Her work focuses notably on improving access to essential health services, including neonatal care, oxygen therapy,and assistive devices, while empowering healthcare professionals and institutions in low-resource settings.
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Tiphaine is the Program Manager of Tech4Dev, an international cooperation programme co-funded by the Swiss Agency for Developmentand Cooperation. Launched in 2019, Tiphaine redesigned the programme's strategy for its second edition, focusing on climate, health, and energy. The initiative fosters collaboration between NGOs, research institutions, and local stakeholders, with support from governments and international organisations, aiming to deliver sustainable, context-adapted solutions to LMICs.
Tiphaine holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the Université de Rouen and a Master degree in Health Technology from Paris-Saclay University. She began her career as a product manager in diabetology within the pharmaceutical industry, before transitioning to entrepreneurship, developing a digital solution to accelerate diagnostic research in rare diseases. She has also worked as a strategic consultant and venture developer, helping public and private organisations bring technologies from idea to market.
Building on this experience, she founded MedSens,a venture aimed at improving healthcare access in medically underserved areas. With over a decade of experience, Tiphaine is passionate about designing projects from the ground up based on real-world needs, from needs analysis and market research to business model development, fundraising, and team recruitment.
Dominika joined Tech4Dev program in 2024 as a Project Manager, where she leads innovation projects in collaboration with research teams, international organisations, and local partners. Her work bridges technology transfer and sustainable development, with a focus on delivering context-adapted solutions in low-resource settings.
She brings over a decade of experience managing projects and partnerships across the humanitarian, development, and climate sectors. She has worked with organisations such as the Gold Standard Foundation, Medair, CARE, and Special Olympics, working on initiatives in social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and emergency response.
Before joining Tech4Dev, she led Medair’s innovation partnerships programme, building collaborations to pilot technologies - from blockchain-based tools to biodegradable materials - in crisis-affected settings. At Gold Standard, she worked on strategic initiatives in the carbon markets and helped advance sustainable finance solutions. Earlier in her career, she managed community projects on rural development, disability inclusion, and migration across Latin America and the Balkans.
She holds a Master’s in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris.
Andrea Cavallini holds a PhD in Biosensors and Bioengineering from EPFL, as well as MSc and BSc degrees in Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology. He has extensive experience in point-of-care diagnostics, R&D project management, and working across non-profit organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, and startups. At FIND, Andrea served as Project Manager and Technology Officer, coordinating a consortium for the evaluation of novel tuberculosis diagnostics and supporting immunoassay development. At Labcorp, he managed global operations for phase 1–3 clinical trials, and at Qloudlab SA, he led assay development for a mobile health platform, achieving ISO certifications for medical devices.