Over the course of 2016, the Emergency Lab has been involved in numerous emergency responses, which we’ve documented through this blog: fYR of Macedonia, Malawi, Niger…When we set out on this journey we had one question that we weren’t really sure of the answer of: is...
UNHCR’s funding mechanism for innovation-driven projects, the Innovation Fund, has received 102 applications for its first-ever call for proposals. The initiative is part of a wider effort spurred by the UNHCR’s Innovation Unit to support innovators who wish to bring...
If we could call innovation something else, we would. The word innovation is rife with confusion, is loaded with misunderstandings, and has the propensity to cause all sorts of confusion. Yet, it doesn’t need to. Here are 5 myths about innovation that are not true....
As major emergencies and crises continue to proliferate and change the humanitarian field, UNHCR keeps evolving and adapting. But since any organization is comprised of its people, it is they who must be flexible and open-minded, versatile and creative. In this...
As an Assistant Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Officer, I am constantly reminded of the unmet needs of the refugee population. I work in UNHCR’s Assosa sub-country office in Ethiopia, where I’m responsible for developing strategies for water systems, waste...
Technical Top Trumps Having never worked with an innovation unit -let alone been in an innovation ‘Lab’ before-it’s fair to say I had an ‘innovation complex’ when starting as the Emergency Lab Manager. For many, innovation is synonymous with the use of technology....
