IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) and IEEE SIGHT Response to COVID-19

These are challenging and unprecedented times with the global spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. The IEEE Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology (SIGHT) Committee recognizes that the virus has disrupted life in many parts of the world, and affected IEEE members, volunteers, event organizers, and project teams. As such, SIGHT has adapted its resources to better enable IEEE volunteers to contribute to the fight against COVID-19.

IEEE HAC & SIGHT Projects – Special Call for Proposals

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in an unprecedented manner, and as such, IEEE SIGHT and its parent Committee HAC has adapted its requirements to better enable IEEE volunteers to contribute. For that reason, HAC and SIGHT Projects will join forces to prioritize proposals that have a strong potential for immediate impact in the fight against COVID-19.
The deadline for submission is through 15 May 2020. An expedited review process allows applications to be evaluated as soon as they are submitted so approved projects can begin right away.

For more information and details on what the application form will include, see the IEEE HAC & SIGHT Projects 2020 Special Call for Proposals related to COVID-19.

All proposals must be submitted via the IEEE HAC Online Funding Opportunities Portal.

IEEE HAC & SIGHT Educational Resources

  • HAC and SIGHT’s free online educational curriculum, “Humanitarian Technology and Sustainable Development at IEEE,” can be found on the IEEE Learning Network. The curriculum equips participants with a basic understanding of humanitarian technology and sustainable development, outlines the need for holistic analysis of existing systems, instructs on the principles of community engagement, and covers the role of appropriate technology in sustainable development.
  • The IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) Education Forum was created to accompany the educational curriculum as a space to explore and discuss the topics further with peers and skilled IEEE volunteers.
  • Finally, all recent IEEE SIGHT webinar recordings can be found in the SIGHT Virtual Classroom. Webinars are given on topics that will that equip members and volunteers to impact their local communities, and many have practical steps to facilitate the implementation of a sustainable development project. Although the current situation most likely does not allow volunteers to carry out these projects now, investing time in learning about these themes now will prepare groups to undertake successful projects in the future.

IEEE Volunteer Activities in Response to COVID-19

SIGHT thanks those who have reached out wanting to volunteer to provide immediate assistance during the pandemic.  If you know of COVID-19 related IEEE volunteer activities that are currently ongoing, we ask you to please share them through this brief survey.