Somali Response Innovation Lab

No.6 of the #RILPlasticsStories campaign.

No.5 of the #RILPlasticsStories campaign.

No.4 of the #RILPlasticsStories campaign.

No.3 of the #RILPlasticsStories campaign.

No.2 of the #RILPlasticsStories campaign.

No.1 of the #RILPlasticsStories campaign.

We are delighted to announce a RILx Strategic Partnership with AVPA!

RILx26 will take place from November 24-26, 2026.

Check out the latest issue of our RIL Newsletter!

This short documentary is under the Social Plastics for Economic Development project led by Response Innovation Lab, together with Engineers without Borders Norway, World Vision Somalia, and the Somali Resilience Programme (host of Somali Response Innovation Lab), with funding support from Innovation Norway.

The closeout and learning event was designed as a learning, dialogue, and exhibition platform to synthesize evidence from the FIRM pilots and the broader financing ecosystem review, while shaping practical scale-up pathways for innovative financing in Somalia The event aimed to strengthen multi-stakeholder alignment around innovative financing, highlight Somali-led solutions, inform future programming, and generate actionable learning products and policy recommendations.

Brought to you by Liban Mohamed, a thought piece reflecting on the livelihoods behind “messiness”.

As StartupBlink's Ecosystem Partner in Somalia and recognised as one of the "Notable Startup Ecosystem Builders", Response Innovation Lab remains committed to deepening our collaboration with the private sector and the local innovation community—working together to build a more connected, resilient, and thriving ecosystem.

We just added a new addition to our Open Resources hub: MatchMaker Solutions Packs! Free to access for all, the guidebook helping organisations and networks moving from “we have a challenge” to “here’s what we can test and try”.

RIL Newsletter brings you more than updates. Sign up today to find out!

Somali Response Innovation in collaboration with ADRA, successfully hosted the Financial Innovation and Resource Mobilization project’s (FIRM) Learning Event, funded by Innovation Norway, under the theme “From Pilot to Practice: Innovative Financing—Promoting Locally Led, Impact-Driven Co-Creation on Evidence and Transitioning Innovations to Market-Wide Application.”

Our annual review for 2025 is finally here. The year witnessed significant disruptions across the humanitarian sector, yet our global network continued to explore—through relentless effort and commitment—how to do more with less.

At this year’s #HNPW, we hosted a session on March 5 reflecting on a decade of humanitarian innovation, bringing together perspectives from practitioners, innovators, and ecosystem actors across different regions.

On January 6, the Somali Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL) hosted a national-level Humanitarian Research & Innovation Futures Consultation in Mogadishu , convening a diverse cross-section of Somalia’s humanitarian ecosystem to collectively shape a forward-looking, nationally grounded agenda for humanitarian research and innovation.

Using Elhra’s Humanitarian Research & Innovation Futures Toolkit, the consultation applied strategic foresight methods to examine key drivers of change, surface critical uncertainties, and stress-test existing humanitarian approaches—ensuring future responses remain adaptive, evidence-driven, and locally relevant.

RILx25 brought together 130 participants from 35 countries across various sectors and geographies. The event was organised in collaboration with Superpool and IFDO, with the generous support of Danish Refugee Council, Elrha, Grand Challenges Canada, the Oxfam Novib HST-LHL programme, and Save the Children International. Check out the takeaways from RILx25 and get inspired on how to prepare for the next “crossroads”.

Bilow Capital is an innovation project supported by the Somali Response Innovation Lab through the FIRM Challenge 2024. In this piece, Co-founder and General Partner Hana Kaise Abdi—also a speaker at RILx25 on the “Local Innovation Ecosystems” panel—shares her insights on what it takes for a local innovation ecosystem to truly thrive.

A small milestone and recognition we achieved in Jordan!

Climate-smart agriculture isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a lifeline for farmers on the frontlines of climate change. In this piece from a South Sudan perspective, we explore what truly makes a solution “climate-smart,” from boosting productivity and resilience to cutting emissions and protecting natural resources. We look at which food-system actors can drive this shift, what farmers in resource-poor, climate-affected areas are actually asking for, and whether current innovations match their needs.

Response Innovation Lab will partner with the International Forum for Development Organizations for their event “Development Partners… Winning Partners” in Beirut this year, taking place from December 11 to 13.  

We hosted the 2025 edition of our annual event RILx in Istanbul from October 15-17, this year under the theme “Humanitarian Innovation at the Crossroads: New Solutions for Ecosystems in Crisis,” with a dual focus on localization and climate adaptation. Three days of open conversations, cross-sector learning, and genuine connections in Istanbul brought together over 130 participants from around the world, spanning international and local NGOs, social enterprises, institutional donors, foundations, academia, entrepreneurship support organisations, public institutes, and impact networks. Check out the snapshots from RILx25!

Great news from Khalid Hashi, an innovator we’ve been proud to support over the years!
The Obama Foundation has just announced that Khalid will join its eighth cohort of Obama Scholars — a group of 11 emerging leaders from around the world who will participate in the program at Columbia University in New York City.

Watch the recording of the IGNITE Food Systems Challenge Demo Day to hear from the innovators: an opportunity for you to take away the lessons learned from our community innovators and gain insights on Somalia’s food systems!

We have successfully delivered the first round of the training series under the Oxfam Novib program “Humanitarian System Transformation through Local Humanitarian Leadership”! Together, we unpacked the structural challenges around capacity and risk sharing, and explored how innovation can be a practical tool to rethink the way we work — from the ground up.

What can you learn? A breakdown of ecosystem components and their relevance to innovation in humanitarian settings; Case studies from Syria and Uganda offering real-world examples of ecosystem mapping and engagement; Tools and frameworks from the RIL to help practitioners identify and strengthen key relationships, flows, and enabling conditions in their contexts….and more!

We will see you in Istanbul from October 15 to 17! This year, we will explore together “Humanitarian Systems Transformation” and “Climate Adaptation in Fragile Settings”.