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.

Over 10–11 June 2026, the Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL) and Makerere University Innovation and Incubation Centre (MIIC) delivered two days of specialised training. marking the start of a new collaboration between the two innovation champions in the ecosystem around innovation monitoring, evidence generation, and learning.

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.

If we do not actively encourage those among us that we can label as innovators or agents of change, then we will always end up with the same results. This guide is a starting point, for all that are responsible for producing innovation within their teams, and those who wish to see the creation of a new way of thinking.

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”.

On 7 May 2026, the Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL) organised the Innovative Financing Convener.

On Tuesday, 5 May 2026, the Response Innovation Lab (RIL) hosted a special edition of its Thoughtcast series in Amman, focusing on analysing challenges within the agricultural sector as an entry point for developing practical, context-driven solutions. The session brought together stakeholders from across the agricultural ecosystem for a more targeted and focused discussion.

This report sheds light on the issue of electronic waste in the city of Aleppo, Syria, with a focus on the current situation and its environmental and social impacts. It attempts to estimate e-waste quantities and examine existing collection and treatment practices. It should be noted that detailed, city-level data—particularly for Aleppo—are scarce or unavailable, although indicative estimates exist, such as an average of approximately 4.6 kg of electronic devices available per capita in the market.

Join us in Kampala on May 7 for a national convener discussing Innovative Financing for humanitarian impact. Sign up before April 25, 2026!

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U-Learn, together with Rwanga Foundation, ALNAP, the Humanitarian Library and Shelter Center, co-hosted a webinar on learning, innovation, and evidence uptake in humanitarian contexts. The webinar aimed to share practical approaches to strengthening learning and evidence uptake in humanitarian and refugee responses. Check out the webinar recording and relevant resources!

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.

On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the Response Innovation Lab (RIL) hosted a Thoughtcast session in Amman, Jordan, bringing together Lazord Fellows for a reflective discussion on how innovation is understood and practiced in crisis contexts through youth perspectives. The session created a space for young professionals working across humanitarian response, refugee support, youth empowerment, healthcare, and education to exchange insights drawn from their professional experiences and engagement with crisis-affected communities.

As part of the HST–LHL initiative, the Response Innovation Lab (RIL), in partnership with the Indonesia Localisation Lab (INALocLab) and Penabulu, conducted a visit to Jakarta to engage with national and subnational stakeholders, meet project partners, and observe localisation in action through Indonesia’s humanitarian coordination platform. The visit provided valuable insights into how local leadership shapes humanitarian responses on the ground. Check out the key takeaways from our Challenge Mapping workshop.

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.

How has the humanitarian innovation space evolved over the past decade? What trends are currently shaping the sector? And where are we heading? Join us on March 5 at 10:00 CET for a webinar to explore the evolution of humanitarian innovation through the lens of RIL’s 10-year journey.

Jordan’s humanitarian landscape is under growing pressure, with rising needs, shrinking funding, and a continued reliance on short-term interventions. In this context, finding ways to deliver impact more efficiently, locally, and sustainably has become increasingly urgent.