Innovation is a strategic priority of the Dutch Relief Alliance, underpinning our commitment to continuously improve the relevance, quality, and efficiency of humanitarian action. In the face of complex and evolving crises, growing needs, and constrained resources, innovation enables us to develop and scale solutions that deliver greater impact for crisis-affected populations.
 
At the Dutch Relief Alliance, innovation is not an isolated activity, but a cross-cutting approach embedded across joint responses, partnerships, and our broader learning agenda. We understand innovation as a dynamic process that leads to new or improved products, services, processes, or paradigms resulting in tangible improvements in humanitarian outcomes.
 
Our approach spans all phases of innovation, from early recognition and development to piloting and scaling. Innovation is supported both as a dedicated stream of work and as an integrated component within joint responses, ensuring that new solutions are grounded in operational realities. All initiatives are guided by humanitarian principles and shaped by core values such as localisation, participation, accountability to affected populations, inclusivity, and responsible risk-taking.
 
The Ducht Relief Alliance has made sustained financial commitments to innovation. Through the DRA Innovation Fund (DIF), over €12 million has been allocated to support innovation across multiple years. This fund enables DRA members and their partners to test, implement, and expand high-potential solutions that address context-specific challenges. In addition, dedicated calls such as the Innovation Open Call have provided targeted funding, allocating €1.8 million to support scalable, locally led initiatives in humanitarian contexts. In the last years, an additional €5 million has been added to further boost the Fund’s capacity, reflecting DRA’s continued prioritisation of innovation as a strategic driver for improving humanitarian outcomes

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