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With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at RIL’s annual event, RILx25, in Istanbul, Rwanga Foundation officially joins the RIL global network as an Affiliate Facility. Affiliate Facilities share RIL’s vision of developing inclusive and collaborative innovation ecosystems, while combining their local expertise and institutional strengths with RIL’s methodologies. Rwanga Foundation becomes RIL’s fourth Affiliate Facility, following the ones in Jordan, Nepal, and Puerto Rico.

The Iraq Response Innovation Lab has identified solid waste management as both a major challenge to tackle and an opportunity to seize for the local innovation ecosystem. To help all types of organizations active in Iraq better understand the scope of the problem and the possibilities that existing and future recycling initaitives can offer, IRIL has published a reflective study on innovative business opportunities in this vertical.

Our labs are supporting several innovations that directly benefit refugee populations, learn more about these innovators and their pursuit to support their communities and others.

The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) produced a report in November 2020 on the future of technology and innovation from the COVID-19 response. The Response Innovation Lab’s both in Iraq and Uganda were highlighted.

Response Innovation Lab is working with Save the Children’s Migration and Displacement Initative (MDI) and their Predictive Displacement Project to host local convener events.

The world is counting on innovations in virology, epidemiology, and other medical fields to deliver a vaccine for the novel Coronavirus and treatment for Covid-19. These breakthroughs are likely to be made in labs from the world’s leading economies. However, there is a critical second tier of issues whose solutions are already emanating from much more diverse contexts. NGOs in resource-poor settings are trying new methods of sharing information through multi-media channels and new forms of content. While these types of innovation may not lead to a cure for the disease, they are addressing critical problems in its transmission and spread; in addition to the direct implications of this pandemic, the long-term impact on the well-being of individuals remains obscure and will inevitably add another layer of challenge to people’s lives

See what each of the labs is doing to prevent and fight COVID-19 in their responses.

Pharx, an innovation supported by the Iraq Response Innovation Lab is highlight in The Guardian.

Nathalie Rami, Lab Director, is interviewed by local media on the lab’s work in refugee camps.