INNOVATION LABSUNICEF

Part 1:

WHAT IS AN INNOVATION LAB?

UNICEF Innovation Labs

Innovation Labs bring together the best minds from private

sector, academia and development to co-create and solve some

of the world’s most pressing challenges

•ambitious model for collaboration

•idea incubation with a focus on social impact work

•a space to test new ways of reaching and involving children

and their communities in local and national development

•works with other types of labs, in other institutions, to avoid

duplication of product or process

health and child survival

designers

engineers

programmers

technical experts

development specialists

youth

inventors

educators

promising trainees

academia

private sector

civil society

Lab Network

There are research and development innovation Labs in Uganda,

Kosovo and Zimbabwe, with plans in the near future for another

nine countries to join the network.

These hubs for innovation and collaboration will be able to

connect to other innovation networks and incubators and share

their processes and outputs.

MIT Media Lab

Un Techo para mi País (UTPMP) in Latin America

Praekalt Lab in Nigeria

Limbe Lab in Cameroon

Instedd Lab in Cambodia

IIT Lab in India

iHub in Kenya

Kosovo

Madagascar

Zimbabwe

Uganda

This type of south-south collaboration creates space &

opportunity for sustainable social innovation

physical products

partnerships

software development

example:

• solar-powered computer kiosks for rural areas

• handheld water testing devices for post-emergency use

• mobile and web-based platforms to improve service

delivery and enhance data collection systems

• tools to empower local populations with information for

advocacy and action

Goal + Principles

Each Lab may have a different programmatic focus,

but all of them will share a set of common principles

and methodologies that emphasize:

open-source solutions

collaboration

user-centered design

building on experience

scalability

openness to all interested parties

sustainability

Part 2:

About three labs

>>Description for Labs in

UGANDAKOSOVOZIMBABWE

Launch year

Partners

Project Type

2010

Aalto Univ., Makerere Univ., ThoughtWorks, UNICEF, WHO, Global Pulse

• Physical products for rural access to information

• Developing mobile phone systems for realtime feedback loops

Launch year

Partners

Project Type

2010

University of Pristina, University of Business and Technology, IPKO,

Disney,MIT, Kosovo institutions, UN Agencies in Kosovo

• Co-creation of open source products and technological solutions for Kosovo institutions

• Youth-driven projects designed to catalyze positive social change

• Mobilize and enable broad-based youth participation through the Youth Advocacy Platform

Launch year

Partners

Project Type

2010

University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, Bio-medical Research Training Institute

(BRTI), Zimbabwe Statistical Authority (ZIMSTATS), Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe

(MRCZ), National AIDS Council(NAC), Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Ministry Labour

and Social Services,Ministry of Education, RTI International, London School of Hygiene and

Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University College of London (UCL), Pangaea and Battelle

The CCORE has its focus on 5 key thematic areas, including the areas of maternal newborn

child health and nutrition, health systems strengthening,  social protection including

livelihoods, water and sanitation and basic education with HIV as cross cutting

Collaborating Centre for Operational Research and Evaluation (CCORE)