HIPER aims to strengthen humanitarian systems and the communities they serve through:
About Hiper
Hiper, the Humanitarian Innovation Programme in Emergency Response, is a global innovation initiative unites humanitarian actors, solution providers and private sector partners to transform how we address crises, starting with the first 60 days.
Led by UNHRD and the WFP Innovation Accelerator, Hiper identifies, develops and scales high-impact product innovations that strengthen humanitarian emergency response and resilience.
Rooted in the operational excellence and innovation expertise of UNHRD and the WFP Innovation Accelerator, Hiper aims to future-proof humanitarian value chains by developing and deploying sustainable, scalable, crisis-ready solutions in three key topic areas:
Rooted in the operational excellence and innovation expertise of UNHRD and the WFP Innovation Accelerator, Hiper aims to future-proof humanitarian value chains by developing and deploying sustainable, scalable, crisis-ready solutions in three key topic areas:
Waste management
Sustainable innovations with a focus on waste management, including debris removal, plastic reuse, and neutralization of any other harmful materials.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
Cutting-edge innovations to ensure clean water provision and management during emergencies.
Personal resilience
Radical innovations to enhance personal and community resilience in emergencies, including fostering emotional and psychological adaptability.
Our mission
cross-sector collaboration for system-wide innovation
delivery of scalable, life-saving products
inclusion of affected communities and frontline responders
real-world testing, deployment and iteration
sharing of data, learning and best practices
About the Partners
UNHRD
UNHRD (United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot) serves as the logistics backbone of humanitarian operations. Through a global network of hubs in Italy, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Panama, UNHRD enables rapid deployment of emergency supplies. Its Innovation Lab, based in Brindisi, Italy, drives product design and field testing for early emergency response — including shelter systems, sustainable kits, clean energy solutions, and waste reduction strategies.
WFP Innovation Accelerator
The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports, and scales high-impact innovations to end hunger and enhance humanitarian response. With access to WFP’s global field operations across more than 120 countries, the Accelerator provides funding, technical support, and real-world testing opportunities. In 2023, innovation initiatives supported by the Accelerator reached over 60 million people worldwide.
Our approach
HIPER takes an ecosystem approach to product innovation, supporting solutions from challenge definition through to scale-up. The initiative is structured around five interconnected phases: Discover, Mobilize, Catalyse, Accelerate and Enable scale.
Discover
Engage key stakeholders to understand needs and barriers on the ground.
Mobilize
Launch challenge calls to source innovative solutions.
Catalyse
Form “flocks” - collaborative working groups of innovators, responders and partners - to co-create and adapt solutions for field deployment.
Accelerate
Provide tailored technical and financial support, mentorship and access to testing environments.
Enable scale
Facilitate market access for innovations, as well as system integration for mature innovations.
What makes HIPER unique?
First 60-day focus
HIPER's solutions will be tailored to the most critical window in any crisis: the first 60 days of response.
Field-proven infrastructure and real-world testing
HIPER will leverage UNHRD’s global depot network and WFP’s operational reach for real applications on the ground.
Pathway to scale framework
HIPER will provide solutions with structured support from ideation through to deployment.
Looking ahead
HIPER is constantly on a discovery journey. Join HIPER in co-creating the future of humanitarian innovation.
