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!
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On May 15, 2025, the AI in Africa MERL Working Group at the Natural Language Processing Community of Practice (NLP-CoP) hosted a powerful virtual meeting to reignite momentum and collaboration within the working group. Since then, we’ve been conducting a landscape study through continued conversations with members to better understand the needs, gaps, and priorities […]
This month, the Ethics and Governance Working Group (EGWG) at the Natural Language Processing Community of Practice (NLP-CoP) is hosting a meeting focused on the use of AI tools by research respondents. We’ll discuss how this impacts qualitative research, researchers themselves, but also acknowledging respondent agency, and long-standing issues with ‘authenticity’ and power within research relationships.
