How IEEE Utilizes Technology to Benefit Humanity?


Lucija Brezočnik and Theodoros Chatzinikolaou, IEEE Region 8 Humanitarian Activities Committee

The former global IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) was elevated to the Humanitarian Technology Board (HTB) in November 2022. The HTB oversees humanitarian activities across various IEEE groups, regions, and societies, and funds related projects and activities around the world. In Region 8, we are excited to announce the 2023 IEEE Region 8 HAC members. Our mission is to inspire and enable IEEE volunteers around Europe, Africa, and Middle East to carry out and support impactful humanitarian technologies and sustainable development activities at the local level.


As part of our mission, we defined new programs and initiatives to raise awareness, award active SIGHT (Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology) groups, and encourage creation of new ones. To name a few, the Community Support Program provides funding to organize SIGHT projects to solve local community needs; the SIGHT Groups Accelerator Program offers additional funding for active SIGHT groups; the R8 Humanitarian Technologies Hackathon provides funding to hackathon winners to implement their proposed tech solutions; the SIGHT Groups Coordination Workshops focuses on specific needs of SIGHT groups to help them on their operations and management; the Connecting Humanitarian Experts provides a series of webinars aiming to communicate the impact of technology on selected United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and the R8 Humanitarian Activities Congress provides space for networking and best practices sharing for SIGHT groups across our Region. To see which other initiatives our committee is conducting and how applications for funding can be made, please check our webpage huac.ieeer8.org.


We welcome all members to spread the word about our committee and SIGHT across their Sections. Please, remember to join us by adding a SIGHT membership (free of charge) and/or form a local SIGHT group. We look forward to working with you to make a positive difference in our communities!


Image credit: IEEE R8 Humanitarian Activities Committee

Originally published on IEEE Region 8 News June 2023 issue.