Somali Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL)
The Response Innovation Lab (RIL) is a global collaborative innovation platform whose founding members include World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam, Civic and George Washington University. In Somalia the RIL is hosted under the SomReP
The RIL’s purpose is to help promote innovation, cross-learning and collaboration in the humanitarian space. This is achieved through 4 main pillars/services:
1: Convene (& Mapping)
This is our function to bring people together. The understanding is that it is difficult to be innovative in a ‘silo’ or by working alone. We work within existing structures like clusters to leverage existing networks, and also do things on our own where we curate those that tend to ensure non-traditional humanitarian actors are involved – like academia and the private sector coming together with NGOs, UN agencies and government. This also allows us to do various forms of ecosystem level mapping.
2: MatchMaker (& Brokering)
This is our mechanism for pairing Challenges we identify with Existing Solutions that have proof of concept.
3: Support (& Scale Innovation)
Once a potential solution has been identified, we then look to co-design a pilot, support with resourcing that pilot and gathering evidence around it.
4: Evidence (Generate & Share)
This is a cross-cutting pillar where we do research and mapping at an ecosystem level, and evaluations on innovation pilots
The Somali Response Innovation Lab is a one-stop-shop for Innovators and Entrepreneurs with products and services for humanitarian situations
Entrepreneurial innovation.
The Ranking of Somalia's Startup / Innovation Ecosystem showcases the landscape of the country on a global platform - Startup Blink - and compared to other ecosystems around the world.