The Diplomat
IE University has signed an agreement with the US Department of State to launch the Tech4Democracy initiative in 2022, the institution said in a statement.
The initiative, in line with the White House Democracy Summit, aims to identify entrepreneurs around the world who “build and promote democracy-affirming technologies”. This will be achieved through a series of ‘startup’ or ‘scaleup’ competitions, as well as a line of applied research that aims to anticipate the future technology needs of our democracies.
“The agreement we are signing today underscores IE University’s commitment to the values that President Biden has promoted at the Democracy Summit and does so with an original and innovative project,” said U.S. Ambassador to Spain Julissa Reynoso.
For his part, IE University’s International Rector, Manuel Muñiz, said that the initiative will help to identify and highlight the technologies “that advance democratic values and norms”.
“This is a fundamental challenge, as emerging technologies are increasingly important to our societies and economies. We need to ensure that technological advancement is a tool for enhancing freedom, equality and inclusion. Academic institutions, as conveners of talent and venues for innovation, must play their part,” said Muñiz.
