Rethinking Medical Innovation from the Ground Up
Building locally, thinking globally: our journey toward equitable healthcare technology
About Us
The International Institute for Accessible Technology (IIAT) was founded in Geneva in 2025 with a single guiding question:
What would healthcare innovation look like if it started with those most often left out of it?
We work to design and deploy affordable medical technologies for low-resource settings — not as charity, but as co-created solutions built with local engineers, researchers, and healthcare workers.
Our flagship project, a phototherapy unit for neonatal jaundice, is currently being piloted in the Republic of the Congo, in partnership with Marien Ngouabi University and the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research (FCRM).
Collaborative Innovation
We believe that accessible design is not just a technical principle — it’s a social one. Every tool we develop is shaped through dialogue: across disciplines, institutions, and borders. We prioritise local production, repair, and ownership to ensure that innovation is sustainable and rooted in context.
Our Mission
To empower communities with accessible, locally-driven medical technologies and foster long-term health equity through collaborative innovation.
Our Vision
A world where every community — no matter how remote — has the tools and knowledge to meet its own healthcare needs with dignity and autonomy.
Core Values
Accessibility — We build with openness and inclusion in mind
Adaptability — We design for change, not perfection
Equity — We measure success by impact, not profit
