Transcript Document
Funding call overview
Webinar – 10th April 2015
Our Purpose…
Identify, nurture
and share
innovative and
scalable solutions
HIF Overview
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Operational since 2010
We’ve now awarded over 60 grants
Part of ELRHA, hosted within Save the Children
Our work focuses on three areas
– Grant support to emerging innovations
– Challenge focused work and targeted R&D in
specific areas
– Improving the system’s ability to innovate
HIF Overview
•
•
•
•
Operational since 2010
We’ve now awarded over 60 grants
Part of ELRHA, hosted within Save the Children
Our work focuses on three areas
– Grant support to emerging innovations
– Challenge focused work and targeted R&D in
specific areas
– Improving the system’s ability to innovate
What we mean by Humanitarian
Innovation
• Bound by the definition of Humanitarian
Assistance
• Looking for novel ideas that improve
humanitarian response
• But novelty on its own is not a virtue
• Open to a range of different kinds of
innovation
Model innovation process
Recognise
Invent
Develop
Implement
Diffuse
HIF Core Grant Support
Recognition
and Invention
Up to
£20,000
Development
and
Implementation
Up to
£150,000
Diffusion
Up to
£20,000
HIF Core Grant Support
Recognition
and Invention
Up to
£20,000
Development
and
Implementation
Up to
£150,000
Diffusion
Up to
£20,000
Example projects from our
portfolio:
University Laval
WASH Product Innovation
A fit-for-purpose humanitarian emergency water treatment
system based on the principles of inclined plate settling.
World Food Programme
ICT Assessments Process Innovation
The mVAM – ‘mobile Vulnerability Analysis and
Mapping’ project provides for the use of voice
technology for household food security data collection.
It is expected that mVAM would lead to a leap in time
and cost-efficiency of data collection.
All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI)
Disaster micro-insurance program
A small business disaster micro-insurance program
to enhance recovery of local markets serving
populations in urban settings.
Guidance for applicants:
How to apply and what to focus on
Basic Eligibility
• Humanitarian The aim of your project must be to improve
humanitarian practice. We do not accept
applications for projects that are to be applied in
wider development contexts.
• Innovation The aim of your project must be an innovation:
creating and implementing a new or improved
technology, product or process.
Applicant Eligibility
• Application welcome from NGOs, University,
research institute, the UN, private sector
• Partnerships and consortia applications
encouraged
• Only two applications per organisation
• Due diligence process for all organisations
Project Eligibility
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Any humanitarian sector
Development or Implementation stages
Project duration of up to 24 months
Budget up to £150,000
No geographic restriction as to the project
location
Criteria for selection
Proposal are assessed again the following
criteria (i.e. this is what you need to show us):
• Impact
• Approach
• Feasibility
• Team
(details of all of these are on the website)
Points to bear in mind
• We’re looking for a really broad range of ideas
– products and process
• Understand the difference between
incremental and radical change
• Novelty in itself is not a virtue
• Build your proposal around a tangible good
idea
Key dates for spring 2015
Dates
Actions
May 14th midnight BST
EoI Deadline
May 25th
Full proposal
submissions
June 30th midnight BST
Full proposal deadline
14th August – 28th
August
Applicant Q&A
11th September
Grants Panel meeting
Any Questions?
Q: Can individuals apply if they are not connected to an institution or an organisation?
A: We can only fund organisations. So if you have a good idea first try and connect up with a relevant
community of practice. This is a way of sense checking it, see if other people are working on it, and then
consider a partnership. Or you are free to get in touch with us with your idea and we have good networks so
we can try to build a relationship between you and a relevant organisation.
Q: If I have as proof-of-concept prototype but it needs refinement, which phase are we at?
A: That would be implementation stage. But for us the important thing is what is needed to take the innovation
forward.
Q: Is co-funding allowed?
A: Yes it is actually very much encouraged. It is not a requirement, but it gives us a really strong signal that
others are buying into the idea.
Q: What language can you accept an application in?
A: Unfortunately at the moment we can only accept applications in English. We recognise this isn’t ideal, and
we would like to increase the accessibility of the fund in the future if we have the ability to process and
manage the funding process in multiple languages.
Q: Can we post the application in?
A: No we can only accept applications through our Common Grants Application website. It works with lowbandwith connections, so it should be easy for everyone to use. However if there are issues please do get in
touch.
Q: Do we have to be a non-profit to apply?
A: We don’t favour any particular type of organisation. To-date we have funded mostly non-profits but we are
open to all organisations including the private sector.
Q: Do you only fund “radical” innovations?
A: No we support a portfolio of projects, from incremental innovations to more transformational
innovations. However we do manage the risk and rewards according to the potential impact of the
innovation. Please be clear about the kind of impact you think your project can have.
Q: Where can the project be based geographically?
A: We are open to all geographies. However, not all countries are experiencing humanitarian
emergencies, and the project must be tested in that context. This means that a project may need to do
its initial development and field testing work in different places.
Q: Is an adaptation of an existing technology, to be suitable for emergency contexts, considered an
“innovation”?
A: This kind of iterative adaptation work is important. Whether it would be considered innovation or not
would have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Is it possible to apply for more than one grant from HIF?
A: Yes, a number of projects we have funded have been through two or more stages of our funding. We
encourage this. Our small grants are ongoing and large grants are opened up regularly in order to
enable applicants to apply for more than one grant as their project evolves.
Q: How many applications do you fund every year?
A: We strongly value quality over quantity. Over the last 5 years we have given 60 grants. It is a very
competitive process, and the amount of funding available is limited, but we aim to find a way to fund all
applications that meet our application criteria.
For more info..
• Visit our website to download the application
pack www.elrha.org/hif/funding/core-grants
• If you need assistance at any stage of the
application process please email
[email protected]
• If you have questions concerning the online
grant application platform please email
[email protected]