Enabling Connectivity for Effective Disaster Response
Join the IEEE AP-S Tech for Impact Challenge for a chance to receive up to US$25,000 to implement your proposed solution to foster innovation and drive impact for people and communities.
Registration Deadline: 23 August 2026
Amount of Funding: up to US$25,000
The IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) and IEEE Tech4Good have aligned to co-design a Challenge to foster innovation and drive impact for people and communities. The selected theme for this competition is “Enabling Connectivity for Effective Disaster Response,” to foster a broader perspective of the application of AP-S technologies to natural disaster prevention and response.
The AP-S Tech for Impact Challenge invites proposals that leverage antenna and propagation expertise for effective disaster response, addressing UN SDG #9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and #13 (Climate Action).
Applicants will select one of the following Technology Impact Categories related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
How to Participate
1. Registration
Register your team of 3 – 8 people from your IEEE AP-S Chapter, Section, or Student Branch. The team lead (primary applicant) must be an active IEEE member AND AP-S member, and should have an IEEE Member grade or higher. Student members may be co-applicants and team members.
All participants on winning teams must be IEEE AP-S members by the end of the Challenge to be eligible to receive the project grant.
Deadline: 23 August
2. Training
Complete all five modules of the Humanitarian Technology and Technology for Impact course on the IEEE Learning Network.
- Module 1: Introduction to Humanitarian Technology and Technology for Social Impact
- Module 2: Foundations of Humanitarian Technology
- Module 3: Community Engagement
- Module 4: Monitoring and Evaluation
- Module 5: Bringing it All Together
Dates: 23 August – 20 September
3. Proposal
Apply what you have learned to propose a technical solution focused on enabling connectivity for effective disaster response that you can deploy together with a local community. Proposals must leverage antenna and propagation expertise and align with UN SDG #9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) or UN SDG #13 (Climate Action).
Deadline: 20 September
4. Competition
Finalists will be invited to present their proposed solutions during a virtual pitch competition. A panel of judges will select the 2 winning teams.
Date: October 2026
(exact date to be determined)
5. Implementation
The two winning teams will receive up to US$25,000 to implement their project over a period of one year.
Dates: November 2026 – November 2027
Applicant Resources
Call for Proposals, Guides and Templates
Technical Education
Evaluation Criteria
Call for Proposals, Guides and Templates
- Call for Proposals – Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire document for more detailed information including eligible budget items, legal and compliance, and proposal requirements.
- Project Assessment Guide
- Project & Community Engagement Principles
Templates
- Letter of Support template to be completed and signed by a local community partner.
- Project Budget template – remember to download the file to update with your project’s information.
Technical Education
Teaching materials, tutorials, course materials, and other resources for EM theory, antennas, propagation, and applications can be found at the AP-S Resource Center. IEEE AP-S members can access all materials at no cost.
Evaluation Criteria
- Benefits to the local community are well articulated and show clear impact metric targets.
- Project scope is defined and meets technological and sustainable development requirements.
- Team composition demonstrates the strength of team and members’ technical capacity.
- Potential risks have been assessed and the team has prepared a feasible mitigation plan.
- Involvement of local organizations and stakeholders ensures the long-term sustainability of the technological intervention.
- Clear potential for social and environmental impact with attainable success metrics.
- Alignment with IEEE’s mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.
Additional Information and FAQs
What are the criteria to participate in the IEEE AP-S Tech for Impact Challenge?
The Challenge has five phases. To participate in phase 1 & 2, the requirements are the following:
- Primary applicants/team leaders must be IEEE Members AND AP-S Members in good standing. All IEEE Member grades may be co-applicants and team members.
- Teams should be affiliated with their local AP-S Chapter.
- Register your team of 3 – 8 people prior to the registration deadline of 23 August 2026.
- Be genuinely interested in participating and in the competition’s theme.
Do I need to have an idea, project, or solution that is already developed?
This is not necessary. Teams are encouraged to develop their proposal after completing the five modules of the Humanitarian Technology and Technology for Impact course on the IEEE Learning Network.
How can I submit a project proposal?
Project proposals will be accepted from teams that are registered by 23 August 2026, and complete all the Humanitarian Technology and Technology for Impact modules available on the IEEE Learning Network.
Teams that meet these requirements will be invited to submit a project proposal.
What will the final pitch competition be like?
After proposals are submitted, teams will be evaluated according to criteria to assess the proposed solution’s technical feasibility and potential for social impact. Selected teams will progress to the next phase as finalists and will be invited to attend the the virtual pitch competition to present their solution before a panel of judges. The judges will determine the two winning teams, who will then receive a grant of up to US$25,000 to deploy their proposed solution over the course of the next year.