Almost all problems are best solved by involving the people affected by them in developing the solution. Evidence shows that innovations designed by, or with, end users are more effective and more likely to scale.
Local and national groups or organisations are often better placed to bring those affected by specific problems into innovation projects than international NGOs. They are more likely to be part of affected communities. They are more likely to understand the complex realities of people’s lives. They are more able to communicate in a way that is meaningful to people living through crisis. Yet very little innovation funding goes to these actors. Together with the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN), we’re determined to change this, and in this blog we explain how.
Both ADRRN and Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) are deeply committed to the power and potential of bringing together the science of innovation management with community-based resilience initiatives. We have partnered on this foundation to pursue what we call the localisation of innovation management.
Through our partnership, we are able to nurture the talent and ideas of local innovators by working with local and national organisations in Asia to develop solutions to locally defined problems. Together, our aim is to help local innovators flourish, with stronger national and regional systems to support more innovation in the future.
