During the 2022-2023 strategic period, IDIA investigated shifting power through innovation practices and building equity metrics with learning partner, African Visionary Fund.  The Equity and Innovation initiative focused on three themes: i) fair funding practices, ii) equitable partnerships, which enable iii) greater agency and systems change. The initiative surfaced case studies of current innovation funding practices to identify promising practices, and key principles and metrics, as well as individual and institutional actions, which can be adopted to shift power and st ..read more

Gigi Ong-Alok Innovation facilitator & Inclusion lead, Partos  The invitation Like an unexpected envelope from an unknown sender on your digital doormat, I vividly remember receiving an email with the caption ‘Innovation Training’ reading ‘Something for you? www.idiainnovation.org. I had heard of IDIA, but never realized they offered trainings, nor did I judge myself qualified enough to partake in an unique program on innovation. Yet, when I set all my insecurities aside, I felt that this training was just what I needed. And hence, I started reflecting, dreaming, and writing. The ques ..read more

21 October 2022 | This article has been first published on the WHO website The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) have agreed to renew their strategic Collaborative Agreement to support the scaling of health innovations to the end of 2023 to jointly accelerate health impact.   “We must leverage health innovations effectively to accelerate progress towards health for all. This collaboration is a great example of partners with complementary expertise working together to scale innovations, buil ..read more

By Parnika Jhunjhunwala (OECD Innovation for Development Facility) and Benjamin Kumpf (OECD Innovation for Development Facility) Summary of the OECD i30 Event | 7th September 2022 Far too many innovation efforts in international development cooperation fail to reach appropriate and sustainable scale. Scaling what works requires operational dexterity, knowledge and experience how to manage the long and difficult process, along with relationship management skills. It requires an understanding of suitable financing mechanisms and knowledge of the relevant local ecosystem. This ecosystem must pro ..read more

Chipo Nancy Ngongoni Health Innovation Ecosystems Management Specialist, WHO Africa Regional Office “A week to remember… and an amazing lifetime opportunity!”  I had always been one of those people that never thought the intricacies of innovation or elements of entrepreneurship could be taught or learnt. In 2014 that all changed when I read Peter Drucker’s mindset shifting book on innovation and entrepreneurship, and I have never looked back. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I knew I was well positioned as an innovation specialist as the world redefined innovation ecosystems and their ..read more

This co-creation framework was developed by the ETWG through a consultative process with NGOs, academia, and research institutes including (insert names). It is meant as a framework that seeks to build a shared understanding and provide resources for international development actors engaged in AI and emerging technology programming, so as to help envision and implement inclusive co-creation in development and deployment of AI/ML solutions. It is meant as a dynamic guide, with updates and additions encouraged as more users leverage the tool. The Framework is divided into six key steps. For each ..read more

  JUNE 2022   Download Report This report is the product of a multi-stakeholder consultation carried out by the Emerging Technologies Working Group (ETWG) of the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA). Over the course of the consultation, from November 2020 - January 2021, 24 interviews were conducted with informants from four different areas: 1) Development agencies, 2) Implementers of emerging technologies for development, 3) Civil society organisations, and 4) Researchers. The main question guiding this research was: How are IDIA agencies and country-level tech acto ..read more

On 6 May 2022, Grand Challenges Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Results for Development and Insight Health Advisors hosted a virtual side event at the the 7th United Nations Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum). BACKGROUND  The scaling up of promising health innovations in Low- and Middle-Income countries (LMICs) is becoming an increasingly important area of interest for actors seeking to build efficient, resilient and adaptive health systems – particularly for governments seeking to build back better after the dev ..read more

Alan AtKisson, Assistant Director-General, Sida Adapted from a keynote speech to SMC Inspirational Day, 7 Feb 2022 Photo Credit: ABALOBI If there was ever a time when we needed to harness the power of innovation to reinforce the positive forces in this world and accelerate sustainable development, especially for people living in poverty and oppression, it is surely now. These are very challenging times, with good and bad news swirling around together in an ever more dynamic mix. I could lay out a long list of statistics about development trends, some hopeful, some deeply worrying. But I like ..read more

  MARCH 2022   Download Report The International Development Innovation Alliance’s (IDIA) Taskforce on Equity and Inclusion was launched in 2021 after the global reckoning of structural racism across all industries, including global development, sparked by the murder of George Floyd in the United States and the Black Lives Matter protests with the COVID-19 pandemic as its backdrop. Taskforce organisations aimed to address what makes this moment different from other opportunities in history to address specific forms of inequity? How can we actively learn from our current call to acti ..read more