Welcome to the MERL Tech Initiative!

MERL Tech is a term for digital tools and approaches that enable monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL). The term also describes the wider field of work at the intersection of technology and MERL.

The MERL Tech Initiative (MTI) and its core collaborators work with social sector organizations to achieve thoughtful tech-enabled program design, implementation, and MERL.

We convene communities of practice to share learning and advance responsible, ethical, realistic digital approaches that center people, communities and societies. We advocate for a strong focus on equity, justice and avoiding harm. Learn more about our work!


Upcoming Events

Join MERL professionals to connect, network and learn.

Sept 30: MTI attends FIFAFRICA

MTI’s Core Collaborator Varaidzo Matimba will be at FIFAFRICA! The Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa, hosted by Collaboration on International ICT Policy For East And Southern Africa (CIPESA), is taking place in Mauritius from September 28 to October 1st. Vari is hosting a workshop entitled “Beyond Accuracy, Beyond Borrowed: AI Evaluation Metrics That Count […]

A picture of foliage contrasting against a blue sky.

Oct 05: An open conversation about disclosing the use of AI – How do we do it and what are the consequences?

Anthropic’s announcement in August that they would add an invisible digital watermark to any content and metadata generated by their AI sparked quite a bit of debate, including in the MERL sector. Would this solve any of the fake “AI slop” content issues? Would this mean that those who use AI would be judged or […]

Oct 28-30: Exploring AI in Evaluation and Evaluation of AI at the 2026 European Evaluation Society (EES) Conference 

Join MTI and MERL Tech Community of Practice members at the European Evaluation Society Conference in Lille, France, from October 28-30.