Logos of the WFP Innovation Accelerator, the Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Austrian Development Cooperation.

The Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme, powered by the WFP Innovation Accelerator, the Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), is in search of high-impact innovative solutions that strive to solve emergency and humanitarian challenges faced by vulnerable populations and humanitarian actors. 

The UN and partner organizations estimate that around US$51.5 billion will be required to assist 230 million people in need across 69 countries, which will still fall short of providing assistance to all those in need globally. 

The Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme aims to support technology-powered solutions addressing pressing global challenges faced in the humanitarian space. The programme will select ventures and solution providers who will receive financial, technical, and methodological support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator, and other partners. Together with the best and brightest minds globally, we will be able to ultimately improve the lives of vulnerable communities.

Watch the sixteen selected innovations showcasing their solutions at the Pitch Event in June 2023. 

 

What We Offer

The Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme has been designed to support ventures and solutions at different stages of development. As a result, in order to flexibly address and prioritize challenges being faced by applicants and their solutions, the Programme has two workstreams: 1) Scaling and 2) Early Stage. Based on the following solution maturity profiles, applicants can classify themselves between the two workstreams and present any relevant evidence of progress. Read more about these two workstreams here. 

The selected ventures and solutions for both workstreams in the Programme will:

Hands-on support & Coaching
Funding
Mentorship and Global Access

Selected ventures will receive access to coaching support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator and relevant partners through the duration of their Sprints.

Selected ventures will be invited to participate in an entirely virtual WFP Innovation Bootcamp and a Pitch Event in Luxembourg in June 2023. These ventures will also be invited to apply to the WFP Sprint Programme – a twelve-month acceleration program with equity free funding up to US$500,000 in the Scaling workstream and up to US$130,000 in the Early Stage workstream.

Mentorship and access to a global network of relevant stakeholders in the humanitarian, business and international development cooperation space.


Solutions that have proven their concepts, scale, and value for social impact may qualify for further funding and support.

What HIAP Looked for

The Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme (HIAP) aims to leverage new technologies, new approaches, and new partnerships to improve and reduce risks in emergency management. Vulnerable communities affected by crises are at the core of the Programme’s engagement and it is based on the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence, and impartiality. Through this first cohort, we were seeking innovations that enhance emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and prevention through the use of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, Space/Satellite Technology, Healthtech and Supply Chain and Logistics. More details about these topics can be found here.

Geographies of Interest 

Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Kosovo, Albania, Moldova, Georgia, Laos, Niger, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Armenia, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Mali, Senegal and Ukraine.

Selected Sprints for HIAP

Following a meticulous selection process, eight innovation teams emerged from the original sixteen pitching teams to participate in the HIAP Sprint Cohort. Among them, four are early-stage startups, while the remaining four have reached the mature stage of development: 

Early Stage Startups:

Mature Stage Startups:

We congratulate the selected sprints and hope for an exciting Sprint journey with them!

Stay tuned for updates on upcoming opportunities with the Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme. Keep an eye on this space for more information.