Our story

In July 2024, the ST Foundation was invited to the Global Digital Transformation Center (DTC) workshop in Bali, organized by ITU and Cisco. We had the opportunity to present our achievements from the past year. With our representatives from Senegal and Sierra Leone, who have been appointed as new DTCs, we are contributing to ensuring that every community can thrive in a connected world.

The partnership with the UN, the International Telecommunication Union, will investigate and promote innovative digital inclusion solutions worldwide to support the activities of the Digital Transformation Centers initiative. This new collaboration with ITU is a milestone in its efforts to create a more digitally inclusive global community. This collaboration was presented internationally during the Foundation's participation in the Global DTC initiative in Cebu.

In April, we reached a historic milestone by training one million people globally since the inception of the Digital Unify program. This remarkable achievement coincides with the 20th anniversary of our operations, marking two decades of dedication to bridging the digital divide and empowering communities worldwide.

Pietro Palella – former ST Italy President and CEO, was appointed as the current ST Foundation President in May 2021.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we focused our efforts on Europe through the Society Digitalization Program, introduced in Italy and France, to address emergencies caused by lockdowns, mitigate the expansion of the digital divide, and reduce disparities in access to technological resources.

In October 2019, we launched the Introduction to Computer Basics Course for Visually Impaired People (ICB4VI) in Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest countries. The testing phase concluded in February 2020 at Milton Margai School for the Blind, certifying the first ten graduates. This effort aims to bridge the digital divide and empower those most in need.

In March 2018, the ST Foundation India, a non-profit organization incorporated under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, was established. The Board members include Pietro Fox, Renato Sirtori, Kamal Dua, and Chhavi Bajpai. The organization's mission aligns with that of the Geneva headquarters, adopting the same courses and programs tailored to local needs. Similarly, in August 2018, the ST Foundation Morocco was created by a joint initiative of the ST Foundation and STMicroelectronics SAS. The Board of the organization is composed of Pietro Fox, Alain Dutheil, and Ilham El Gaf. This non-profit organization, also aligned with the mission of its Geneva headquarters, offers similar courses and programs customized to meet the unique needs of the Moroccan community.

Backed by ST volunteers from the Greater Noida ST plant in India, we introduced the “Advanced Courses.” These sixty-hour programs focus on Microsoft Office, covering Word (14 hours), PowerPoint (14 hours), Excel (28 hours), and Outlook (4 hours), catering to both educational and job market needs.

We presented our projects and views on April 21 and discussed "Transferring knowledge and adequate technologies: the way to combat poverty and make the world safer." Reflecting on the broader mission of the ST Foundation, Giovanna Bottani emphasized, "As we all know, technologies today have become the bridge towards complete economic and cultural development. They have the power to shape the world."

As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) end, 15 years of success have been achieved in education worldwide. In developing regions, the number of children in elementary school rose from 83% in 2000 to 91% in 2015. Additionally, the literacy rate among young people aged 15 to 24 increased from 83% to 91% during the same period. As the MDG era concludes, the UN launches the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, outlining 17 goals to tackle global challenges. The ST Foundation, along with its partners, is committed to contributing to the achievement of these goals.

Within the Digital Unified Program framework, we introduced this groundbreaking initiative showcasing the benefits of touchscreen technology for children's learning. Developed in collaboration with the Swiss NGO Seed and tested in India, T4K aims to combat e-illiteracy among 9 to 13-year-olds, empowering children in challenging contexts by introducing them to the digital world.

The "Model Lab Approach" emphasizes the importance of standardized methods in technology empowerment. This methodology has demonstrated how adaptable frameworks can effectively meet diverse community needs, highlighting the value of scalability in maximizing impact and facilitating the democratization of knowledge.

The project aims to promote information and communication technologies by creating sustainable development goals shared with institutions worldwide. The first meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June 2006 and the cooperation continues, stronger than ever.

Our influence surged, notably venturing into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, marking our inaugural operation in a non-ST country. Throughout that year, our efforts in digital literacy significantly improved the lives of over 7,945 individuals across Italy, Morocco, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The eContent Award Italy in 2005 selected the best national e-content products to officially represent Italy at the World Summit Award during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis. Giovanna Bottani was one of the Italian judges. This competition aimed to identify top e-content in categories such as eBusiness, eCulture, and eLearning and included a special Young Talent Award for individuals aged 16 to 27.

The Digital Unify Program (DUP) is our umbrella term to summarize our core initiatives devoted to fighting the Digital Divide. Just in its first year, the program trained nearly a thousand people.

Following the vision of former CEO Pasquale Pistorio, STMicroelectronics established the ST Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Geneva. Our mission is to bridge the digital divide by building infrastructure, cultivating local expertise, and delivering comprehensive educational programs in communities around the world. Carlo Ottaviani, Corporate Vice President, Communications at STMicroelectronics, serves as our first President.