MOU Signing Between The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Uganda + Save the Children Uganda + Response Innovation Lab
Fostering new ideas and solutions for Uganda
The Response Innovation Lab, Save The Children International (Uganda), and The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Sign a Memorandum of Understanding to foster new ideas and social impact solutions in Uganda.
The Response Innovation Lab is keen on developing strategic partnerships that support and improve the way emergency stakeholders respond to challenges experienced by Refugees and their host communities.
The Response Innovation Lab, Save The Children International (Uganda), and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on this 3rd day of March 2021 at the Ministry offices. Some of the guests that graced the event included the Country Director of Save the Children, Egbert Brechtje van Lith, the Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Obong O. O David, and the Response Innovation Lab Manager- Uganda, Charlène Cabot.
The M.O.U will promote problem-solving socially-oriented innovation in the humanitarian and development sectors and strengthen the innovation ecosystem in Uganda. This vision is based on the conviction that new, innovative solutions are needed in the humanitarian and development sectors to meet the growing needs of populations affected by crisis and living in remote areas that impede their productivity and well-being.
3 Mar 2021: Signing of the MOU with Egbert Brechtje van Lith (Country Director of Save the Children), Mr. Obong O. O David (the Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation), and Charlene Cabot (Lab Lead at RIL Uganda).
“No one should be left behind with our innovations […] The challenges we will address are not in board rooms, they are in refugee settlements [and other underprivileged communities]”
The Parties will specifically seek to conduct innovators' capacity building and joint resource mobilization, organize events in innovation-related matters, collaborate in evidence-generation, dissemination, advocacy, and support of the local innovation ecosystem with a focus on humanitarian and resilience-building innovation-clusters. The parties will be working on innovative solutions to Disaster Preparedness, Refugee management, Gender, Labour, and Social Development related challenges.
In the past years, the partners have collaborated on different projects, including reviewing and selecting innovations relevant to the Ugandan context. For instance, in 2020:
The MoSTI as well as the Office of the Prime Minister and other key stakeholders were invited by RIL to participate in the selection process of innovations for the call for proposal of the Dutch Relief Alliance Innovation Fund. The emphasis on local ownership on the selection of innovations was strong in this process hence the decision of the Dutch Relief Alliance to partner with the RIL to select locally-relevant challenges and innovations rather than identify them from a distance.
The MoSTI also participated in the expert review of applications to the RIL Covid-19 Innovation prize.
““Save the Children came to Uganda in 1969 and supports Ugandan as well as Refugee children and families to fulfil their full potential. Since 2018 we have hosted the Response Innovation Lab (RIL), showing our commitment to introduce innovation and creativity in the interventions for refugee and host communities, as well as the belief that social-impact innovations are locally available. Today, we are very pleased to formalize our collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation as our joint commitment to support the ‘ecosystem’ and find pathways for all - particularly for the youth - to innovate and build a bright future for themselves and us all.””
This MoU marks the beginning of more opportunities for collaboration in 2021 and beyond with a joint objective to improve the lives of those who need it most.
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