WASHINGTON - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will co-host the Higher Educations Solutions Network's TechCon 2016 in Cambridge, Massachusetts from November 10 - 12. TechCon 2016 will convene the students, faculty, and staff that make up USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN), as well as social entrepreneurs, private sector representatives, government officials, and development practitioners focused on highlighting cutting-edge solutions to critical development challenges.

TechCon will highlight 39 innovations from HESN Development Labs and partners in an Innovation Marketplace and through a variety of discussions, networking opportunities, sessions, and talks by leading voices in development. Featured speakers include:

• L. Rafael Reif, President, MIT
• Christie Vilsack, Senior Advisor for International Education, USAID
• Caroly Shumway, Senior Science Advisor to the Administrator, USAID's U.S. Global Development Lab
• Charles North, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3), USAID
• Dave Ferguson, Director, Center for Development Innovation, USAID's U.S. Global Development Lab
• Ticora Jones, Division Chief, Higher Education Solutions Network, USAID's U.S. Global Development Lab
• Amy Smith, Founding Director, MIT D-Lab and Director of the International Development Innovation Network
• Bishwapriya Sanyal, Director, MIT Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation & Ford International Professor of Urban Development and Planning
• Richard Lester, Associate Provost for International Activities, MIT
• Sonal Shah, Executive Director, Professor of Practice at the Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation at Georgetown University
• Umar Saif, Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board and Founding Vice Chancellor of Information Technology University, Pakistan

To learn more about the Higher Education Solutions Network or TechCon 2016, please visit https://www.usaid.gov/hesn and http://www.hesntechcon.com. Follow the conversation on Twitter at @USAID, @GlobalDevLab, and #TechCon2016.

Accredited press only. Invitation transferrable upon request. Cameras welcome. For more information about TechCon 2016, contact: usaidpressofficers@usaid.gov