It is far too common that financial and operational bottlenecks choke off technology transfers needed to meet global challenges—demand for renewable energy technology increases, yet investment in this sector is flat; new treatments, diagnostics, and health delivery modalities are urgently needed, yet investments in medical technology diffusion and distribution have declined; water-stressed regions grow, yet adoption rates for precision agriculture are low. Deploying disruptive technologies in all the major fields of sustainable development requires new human capital and technology inputs to reduce costs, increase investments, and expand financial returns. This private session, which will include IFC-Milken Global Scholars, Milken Israel and Global fellows and alumni, World Food Program East African Innovation Hub, and lessons from the MI Financial Innovation Lab, will focus on projects at the pre-development stage or in development and implementation—such as FinTech, water sustainability, life-sciences R&D, resilient infrastructure, EV-charging, and affordable housing. This session, combined with capacity-building projects generated through the Milken Institute and its partners (see list below), will be of vital interest to investors and policy practitioners working in sustainable development. 

Moderator

Steven Zecher

Project Director, Milken Innovation Center

Speakers

Mwaniki Mugo

Business Analyst, Budgets and reconciliation, Central Bank of Kenya; IFC-Milken Institute Scholar

Estella Nyimba

Senior Economist, Ministry of Finance and National Planning of Zambia; IFC-Milken Institute Scholar

Matthew D. Potts

Chief Science Officer, Carbon Direct

Anjali Ravunniarath

Milken Global Fellow, Milken Institute

David C. Wilson

Dean, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley

David Zilberman

Wolf Prize, Laureate, Rausser College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley