Updates

Humanitarian organisations face a difficult equation: growing needs, shrinking budgets and millions of people who may not receive the assistance they require. Yet one of the largest opportunities to close this gap may be hiding in plain sight: the way humanitarian aid is procured, stored, transported and delivered.

A research project that began through the Analytics for a Better World Fellowship, responding to a Red Cross challenge in West Darfur, has been accepted for publication in OMEGA. The study develops a scalable way to identify where water wells could be placed so that as many people as possible live within 500 metres of one.

Research by Analytics for a Better World, the University of Amsterdam, London Business School and The Ocean Cleanup has received the INFORMS ENRE Best Publication Award in Environment and Sustainability.

By Ronald Lenz, Managing Director, Analytics for a Better World 

On September 10th, Zihang Qiu successfully defended his PhD thesis, "Advancing proton therapy treatment plan optimisation under uncertainties", at the University of Amsterdam. His research develops new ways to use mathematical optimisation to adapt proton therapy plans when a patient’s anatomy or treatment conditions change.

Some of the most important work directly impacting underserved communities is being done by non-profit organisations that have rich on-the-ground knowledge, but who are also in the early stages of their data maturity journeys. In 2026, Analytics for a Better World took a step toward accelerating the impact non-profit organisations can have.

What happens when the world’s best data and AI experts apply their skills and share their tools with nonprofits to solve pressing global challenges? They accelerate progress. This is the promise of Analytics for a Better World (ABW), the nonprofit institute founded three years ago by ORTEC and the University of Amsterdam Business School. Its mission: to bridge the gap between advanced AI applications and the nonprofit sector.

Analytics for a Better World (ABW) co-founder Robert Monné is stepping back from his role, marking the end of the organization's founding chapter and the beginning of an exciting new one. Robert was essential to the successful ecosystem that ABW is today, contributing to the transformation of a bold idea into a thriving global community of 40+ organisations united under the purpose of using analytics and AI equitably for good.

After 14 weeks of co-creating and building together, our first Accelerator cohort presented the solutions they developed across SDGs 3, 4, 6, 13, 16 and 17, with insights from leading voices on inclusive AI.