Ricoh Innovations, Inc. (RII) has awarded Carnegie Mellon University in Rwanda (CMU-R) an unrestricted grant to advance research on healthcare information and communication technology (ICT) in developing countries.

CMU-R is a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University and the Government of Rwanda to bolster ICT efforts in Rwanda and throughout East Africa through graduate education and research. Hedda Schmidtke, CMU-R assistant professor, and Suzana Brown, scholar-in-residence, will research healthcare ICT with support from the grant.

"We are delighted to receive this grant from RII," said Bruce Krogh, director of CMU-R. "It makes it possible for our faculty and students to launch new research into ICT innovations that will significantly improve healthcare in developing countries like Rwanda, particularly through the use of mobile technology."

The increasing demands on limited medical resources in developing countries emphasize how crucial it is to foster creative innovation.

"We are proud to support this important research in Rwanda," said Nikhil Balram, MD, president and CEO of RII. "RII is working to advance Open Innovation in emerging countries through collaboration between industry and researchers, yielding both technological and academic advances. The research carried out at CMU-R has the potential to improve the way healthcare is delivered not only in Rwanda, but throughout the world."

The Government of Rwanda plans to form a regional Information and Communication Technology Center of Excellence in Kigali, and to establish ICT as a vital part of their economy. CMU-R began offering the Master of Science in Information Technology in August 2012, and is currently accepting applications for admission to the program in August 2013.