After two years of research, the ITT released a top "50 Breakthroughs" study in 2014. In this study, they identified some of the most important breakthrough technologies that are required for sustainable global development. ITT aims to develop many of these breakthroughs, working with scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and other research institutions around the world.

The 50 breakthroughs would solve problems in the 9 general areas shown in Figure 1. Achieving these breakthroughs will make substantial impacts on poverty.

Examples of some of these breakthrough technologies are listed in the table in Figure 2.

Notice how breakthrough #42 is directly related to using the IoT to enable new services. Examples of IoT devices include Internet enabled point-of-care diagnostics, or automated irrigation based on soil sensing, and distributed monitors for detecting environmental toxins.