MIT Accelerating Information Technology Innovation (AITI) is a multidisciplinary group of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI) that promotes development in emerging regions by cultivating young technology entrepreneurs. AITI develops curriculum materials, software technologies, platforms, and networks that enable undergraduate students in emerging regions to innovate in the area of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Most directly, AITI partners with universities in emerging regions and organizes advanced courses taught by MIT student/instructors. Our courses focus on mobile and Internet technologies, and are structured so that our students are awakened to the commercial possibilities of the technologies. Components of the course include detailed technical curriculum, funded business competitions, guest lectures, and networking events, all to help our students develop and realize their ideas.
Concurrent to its courses, AITI scales its impact by transferring teaching expertise to our partner universities so that they can incorporate components of our courses with little intervention. Furthermore, AITI creates online course material so that we can reach students across the globe.
Since 2000, AITI has sent nearly 120 MIT instructors to teach over 1500 students in five countries, resulting in the creation of businesses and the addition of course offerings at our partner universities.
