Seminar: Humanitarian innovation and localisation – building on local needs, competencies and skills (København)

Innovations, from emerging technology to radical methodologies of change, represent a growing emphasis for humanitarian and development actors. Too often, however, innovations are developed in the global North and brought to local contexts, based on perceived needs but without involving target groups. So how do we make sure that innovations in the sector not only reflect local needs, but build upon and develop local perceptions, competencies and skills?

At this seminar DIIS and Save the Children tackles the issue of how we link local needs and solutions with global ones in ways that foster indigenous innovation – moving from isolated top-down projects to solutions that are both locally sustainable and may be scaled. Whether we call it human-centered design, indigenous or participatory innovation, the aim is to put local systems at the heart of the innovation process.

The seminar will be a combination of local experiences, conceptual discussions and participant inputs on the challenges of humanitarian and development innovation.

Speakers

• John Bryant, Senior Research Officer, ODI, UK
• Anna Skeels, Head of the HIF Programme, Elrha, UK
• Lydia Tanner, Director, The Research People, UK
• Charlene Cabot, Manager, Response Innovation Lab, Uganda
• Joshua Businge Muleesi, Founder and CEO, AKABOXI, Uganda
• Rasmus Stuhr Jakobsen, CEO, Care Denmark
• Dane Fetterer, Thesis Researcher, DIIS, DK
• Adam Moe Fejerskov, Reseacher, DIIS, DK

Programme

14.00-14.10: Introduction
Adam Moe Fejerskov and Dane Fetterer

Segment 1: Research perspectives on localizing humanitarian innovation

14.10-14.25: The humanitarian ‘digital divide’: the impact of technology in crisis response’
John Bryant

14.25-14.40: Perspectives on local innovation: presenting experiences from Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF)
Anna Skeels

14.40-14.55: Evidencing local innovation
Lydia Tanner

Segment 2: Perspectives from the sector and from the field

14.55-15.25: Opening doors to the humanitarian response market for local innovators
Charlene Cabot and Joshua Businge

15.25-15.40: Transforming the future of humanitarian aid: innovation, impact and sustainability
Rasmus Stuhr Jakobsen

15.40-16.30: Discussions

Practical information

The seminar will be held in English and livestreamed on diis.dk.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use our online registration form no later than Wednesday 4 March 2020 at 10.00. Livestream does not require registration.

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