$2.15 million gift supports marginalised communities through ICT research
- Monash University is the recipient of a $2.15 million philanthropic gift from the Empowerment Charitable Trust, supporting PhD students’ information and communication technology (ICT) research to empower underprivileged communities.
- The generous gift backs the Participatory Research and Ownership with Technology and Change (PROTIC) project, which is a collaboration between Monash University and its Faculty of Information Technology (IT) with Oxfam Bangladesh.
- The gift will support the PhD students’ research into the effective use of technology within remote communities, enabling them to become digital citizens.
Monash University PhD students will empower marginalised communities through ICT research, enabled by a philanthropic gift of $2.15 million towards the PROTIC project.
The generous gift from the Empowerment Charitable Trust will allow the PROTIC project, which was developed in collaboration with Oxfam Bangladesh, to continue and broaden its action-based ICT research into the second phase of the project.
The PhD students will work to further advance their knowledge of critical issues experienced by marginalised communities, such as poverty and climate change, and activate their ICT research to empower the members of those communities to become digital citizens.
Senior Research Fellow Dr Larry Stillman, and the new PROTIC Project Lead, Associate Professor Gillian Oliver, from the Faculty of IT, said they’re extremely grateful for the continued support and extraordinary generosity of the Empowerment Charitable Trust, which will support Monash PhD students’ research activities into the effective use of technology within remote communities.
“We’re so thankful for the Empowerment Charitable Trust’s ongoing commitment to the PROTIC project, which will provide the financial backing we need to move into the next phase of the program, and ultimately improve underprivileged communities’ access to opportunities through ICT.”
Professor Jon Whittle, Dean of the Faculty of IT, said the PROTIC project is focused on driving disadvantaged communities towards economic stability and empowerment, with the recent philanthropic gift from the Empowerment Charitable Trust assisting the team to move one step closer to achieving this goal.
“Without the backing of the Empowerment Charitable Trust, the PROTIC project wouldn’t be possible. We’re deeply grateful for their continued support of this large-scale multidisciplinary research project.”
The $2.15 million philanthropic gift contributes to the Change It. For Good. campaign, which is the largest public fundraising initiative in Monash University’s history.
For more information about the impact of philanthropy at Monash University, please visit monash.edu/giving