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.

A small milestone and recognition we achieved in Jordan!

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.

As StartupBlink’s Ecosystem Partner, Somali Response Innovation Lab is happy to share that Somalia reclaims its spot in the Global Top 100 Startup Ecosystem, ranked by StartupBlink in 2025. Somalia now ranks 13th place in Africa and 4th in Eastern Africa!

SomRIL received the Award “Best Accelerator Ecosystem” from StartupBlink recognising Somalia's top performance in the number of accelerators among the seed African ecosystems.

Learn about the Uganda RIL’s Kampala Impact Day events, and the three innovators nominated by the team.

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.

As originally published on Devex (10 Feb 2021) - Through the establishment of RIL in Uganda, our team has learned a few lessons on integrating innovation into the humanitarian context that we are sharing in a supportive effort around localization.

UNDP Accelerator Labs, Honey Bee Network, and GIAN have jointly organized the first International annual competition for creative & innovative ideas or traditional knowledge practices around the world, which solve day-to-day problems. Life Shelter received this International Award among 2,500 solutions around the world.

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.

For World Refugee Day, the Pears Program for Global Innovation showcased an article on RIL’s work in developing a strong ecosystem for humanitarian innovations to survive and thrive in specific emergency contexts, as well as highlights local Uganda innovator Akaboxi.

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

On February 27th, 2020, the Response Innovation Lab (RIL), along with the SomReP and BRCiS consortiums co-hosted a session at the Sankalp Forum’s 7th Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. The session showcased that despite the challenges in Somalia, there are many opportunities for innovation, partnership, and investment.

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