UNICEF has launched an innovation fund with which it is investing in open source tech startups in developing countries with the aim of improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children.
In line with this, the fund is accepting applications from open source projects that have a working prototype that can involve developing a new technology or expanding/improving on an already existing one.
The UNICEF Innovation Fund has also already raised $9 million and offers innovators in developing countries a pooled funding mechanism to help them take their tested projects to the next stage. UNICEF Innovation has previously invested in technology solutions, such as RapidSMS, RapidPro and U-Report, which now reach millions of users.
The fund focuses its investments on three portfolio areas:
* Products for youth under 25 to address a range of needs including learning and youth
* Real-time information for decision-making
* Infrastructure to increase access to services and information, such as connectivity, power, sensors and transport
Applications will be assessed based on criteria that includes the strength of the team, the project’s relevance to children, and the ability to see potential future value in the open source IP being created. Submissions of Expressions of Interest must be received no later than 26 February 2016 and can accessed here.
“We’ll be identifying opportunities from countries around the world including some that may not see a lot of capital investment in technology start-ups. We are hoping to identify communities of problem-solvers and help them develop simple solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing children,” said Christopher Fabian, UNICEF Innovation Co-Lead.
UNICEF Innovation is an interdisciplinary team of individuals around the world tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling technologies and practices that strengthen UNICEF’s work. Through its presence in 190 countries, it builds and scales innovations that improve children’s lives around the world.
