Erna Hamburger Prize 2025 "What we get wrong about how technology helps poor people"
Event details
| Date | 07.10.2025 |
| Hour | 18:30 › 21:00 |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Since 2006, the Erna Hamburger Prize distinguishes influential, leading women scientists who are transforming their field and executing change. The prize is awarded by the EPFL-WISH Foundation (Women In Science and Humanities).
The Erna Hamburger Prize 2025 will be awarded to :
Dr. Rose M. Mutiso
Dr. Rose M. Mutiso is a Kenyan scientist, thought leader, and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Tech Futures Lab (ATFL), a new institute helping decision-makers across the continent navigate emerging science and technology across energy, climate, AI and digital systems. Previously, she was Research Director at the global think tank Energy for Growth Hub, where she led work on energy transitions and emerging energy technologies in Africa and other energy-poor regions. She currently holds joint appointments as Science Advisor to the Energy for Growth Hub and Senior Fellow of the Conceptual Investigations Unit at Stanford University.
The award ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 7th at 6:30 pm at the auditorium SG 1138.
Programme:
6:35pm – Wish Foundation presentation – Giulia Tagliabue WISH foundation Vice President
6:45pm – Introduction of the Laureate – Ginevra Larroux master student
6:55pm – Lecture by Dr. Rose Mutiso
7:30pm – Q&A session
7:55pm – Closing – Remarks – Prize is awarded
8:00pm – Cocktail
Summary of her presentation: "The concept of technological leapfrogging, by which developing countries can skip traditional development stages or specific incumbent technologies and adopt newer approaches, has dominated African development discourse for decades. Mobile phones are the canonical success story, with Africa’s rapid adoption in the mid-1990s to 2000s fueling optimism about replicating this phenomenon across sectors. But too often, these leapfrogging narratives are built on hype, misdiagnosed problems, and a reluctance to face hard truths about poverty, infrastructure gaps, and structural inequality.
In this lecture, I draw from my experiences working on energy transitions and innovation policy across the Global North and South to unpack what’s missing in our conversations about technology and development. Why do promising innovations so often fall short of impact? What makes some succeed against the odds? And what does it take to ensure that new technologies actually serve the people who need them most?
Ultimately, I argue for a shift from shortcut thinking to structural thinking, and from tech optimism to tech realism, as we imagine more inclusive and durable pathways for science and technology in Africa and beyond. As Africa faces new technological frontiers from artificial intelligence to biotechnology and next-generation energy systems, the stakes of getting this right are higher than ever."
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Practical information
- General public
- Registration required
Organizer
- EPFL WISH-FOUNDATION; Mediacom