Eight explorations on the role of frontier tech for impact: our Discovery Fund
Eight promising ideas for how frontier technology can help meet global challenges have recently been explored as part of the first cohort of a new support mechanism with the Frontier Technologies Hub, called the Discovery Fund.
Over the past 7 years, the Frontier Technologies Hub has built a portfolio of ideas testing how frontier technologies can be used for positive social impact. We have an existing pilot offer that has supported 65 ideas in over 30 countries.
The Hub directly supports FCDO staff to test these ideas by providing innovation coaching, grant funding, and grant management, as well as connections to global networks and experts that come together to help bring ideas to life.
However, in recent years, we noticed that as part of our yearly call for applications, some really novel and promising ideas were not being selected for the conventional pilot pathway as they carried significant risk, or were more underdeveloped as applications. We wanted to therefore provide an opportunity to help uncover and dig into some of the biggest question marks around these ideas, to enable us to expand the kinds of ideas we support.
In July 2022, as part of the Discovery Fund, we supported eight novel ideas, partnering them with dedicated coaches from the Frontier Technologies Hub. The coaches helped their FCDO counterparts to formulate a project idea more concretely, understand what some of the most critical assumptions behind the idea might be, and ultimately, build a Terms of Reference for interested partners to answer these immediate questions and help assess pilot feasibility.
Seven of the ideas managed to contract partners for the delivery of these small units of work. Specifically, the FCDO advisors had up to £25,000 to use to bring in support to help them explore their ideas, with outputs ranging from stakeholder meetings to research pieces and reports. Most of these activities ran from January 2023 onwards, and work was delivered by mid-April 2023.
On completion, the FCDO advisors discussed what to do with the evidence generated, and decided whether they wished to continue and apply for additional pilot funding as part of the full Frontier Technologies programme. We were pleased that all seven ideas wanted to continue exploring their ideas and applied for full pilot status.
Introducing the ideas
Here are two ideas supported during the Discovery Fund:
Integrating AI in asset management of rural water supply schemes in Nepal
In Nepal, only 22% of drinking water schemes are fully functional. Kamla KC, FCDO Nepal, decided to try and combat this by exploring whether artificial intelligence image processing could help with the management of rural water supply schemes. Kamala brought in a WASH expert based in Nepal to conduct a landscape review to identify and understand the way WASH data is managed, the key problems that exist with regards to WASH data and their impacts, and the potential solutions that could be implemented to improve this data. Kamala also brought in a team from Rara Labs, who led a small project to test the potential of an AI system to identify assets and faults, such as broken pipes and corrosion, from an existing image database. These two activities helped Kamala to assess the viability of an AI solution in the future. She has since applied for the idea to become a full pilot with the Hub, and is hoping to continue working on the idea soon.
DNA forensics to tackle illegal wildlife trade with MinION technology
The Latin American region holds about 40% of the world’s biodiversity, which is threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Luis Calzadilla (pictured, top right) and Chabelly Medina, FCDO Colombia, wanted to see whether the portable sequencing technology MinION could be used to generate information on illegal wildlife trade specimens, which could then be used to prevent and fight this practice and inform the relocation of specimens. Luis and Chabelly brought the Humboldt Institute on board to test the technology and to run a workshop in March 2023, in Palmira, Colombia, at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. The workshop brought together stakeholders from different environmental authorities, including universities and government departments, to see who could benefit from using portable sequencing techniques, the ability and cost implications for different organisations to use the technology, and finally, what might be needed to build and maintain a sufficiently comprehensive database of illegally traded wildlife. The team have since been successful in their application to become a Frontier Technologies pilot and are continuing to test and build towards their vision.
Congratulations to both teams on their groundbreaking work, as well as the five other ideas supported through this offering over the past year! Click on the links below or visit our Pilot Portfolio to find out more about all of these ideas:
Digital mapping to protect freedom of religion or belief: can AI be used to successfully monitor and capture trends in Freedom of Religion and Belief and inform the UK government’s actions?
Harnessing Geo-Data Technologies to Support Peace Positive Investment: can geological data technologies enable donors to track their financial and peace returns in conflict-ridden areas?
Safeguarding land-based climate investments in Ghana with blockchain: can blockchain technology increase land-based climate investments in Ghana?
[education AR]: can Alternative reality technologies make education more engaging and fun for kids in Mexico?
Solar Home electrolyser proof of concept: can a solar home electrolyser generate green hydrogen on a small scale?
Through supporting these ideas, we learned that a relatively small amount of time (and money) can act as a catalyst, bringing diverse groups together to explore the feasibility of ideas for how frontier technologies can have meaningful impact. From feedback we’ve received from FCDO staff, the outputs produced in the Discovery Fund have clearly helped to generate interest in continuing individual projects, whether from government ministries or research communities whose knowledge has been added to from the work.
While there have been challenges, particularly as this is a new approach, we have provided FCDO staff with an opportunity to lead the early stages of an innovation project and have been able to critically reassess initial pilot applications from the previous year. We are particularly happy to keep supporting three of these ideas with additional funding and support.
A new offer for all FCDO staff: the Frontier Tech Helpdesk
Following this trial, we are happy to announce a new offer within the Discovery Fund: the Frontier Tech Helpdesk. This Helpdesk is available to all FCDO staff to help explore a question or idea for how frontier technologies can be used for positive impact. Questions like:
Can AI help to make more effective decisions on WASH infrastructure in Nepal?
How have nature-based solutions been used to support local livelihoods in the Sahel?
Who should we speak to about using virtual reality in UK diplomatic visits?
We provide tailored coaching to support idea development and link you up to relevant initiatives, as well as pointing you in the right direction for resources on frontier tech, or conducting research on your behalf. This includes the opportunity to access small grant funding, as well as apply to join the flagship Frontier Tech Hub portfolio. Reach out to us via this form and we can support you to take your idea further.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The Frontier Technologies Hub
If you’d like to dig in further…
📚 Visit our Pilot Portfolio
