Written by The UNHCR Innovation Fellowship is an annual learning and capacity-building programme run by the UN Refugee Agency’s Innovation Service. It equips participants with innovation skills, tools, and methodologies to design, test, and embed new solutions to real challenges affecting refugees and displaced communities.
About the Innovation Fellowship
The UNHCR Innovation Fellowship is a year-long innovation learning experience where participants dive deep into practical problem solving, ideation, prototyping, and experimentation. Fellows apply innovation frameworks and methods to real operational challenges they encounter in their work, with the goal of bringing more creative, effective approaches into UNHCR’s humanitarian operations.
The programme typically involves:
- Online workshops and webinars
- Peer collaboration and support networks
- Innovation assignments and real project work
- Mentoring from experienced innovation practitioners
- Focus on embedding innovation approaches into everyday operations
Fellows are seen as ambassadors for innovation, helping spread innovation mindsets and practices within UNHCR and partner networks.
Who Can Apply
This programme is open primarily to: UNHCR staff across various duty stations and functions
Affiliated workforce members working with UNHCR over the duration of the Fellowship
Members of select partner organisations (e.g., other UN agencies or invited partners)
Note: Applicants from outside the UNHCR system can participate only if nominated or invited through their organisation’s partnership with UNHCR.
Fellows are expected to be actively engaged in operational or programme work where innovation challenges can be applied and tested.
What Participants Gain
Participants in the Innovation Fellowship Programme gain:
Innovation Skills & Tools
Learn structured methods for ideation, prototyping, testing, and iterative problem solving that can be applied to operational challenges.
Peer & Mentor Support
Engage with a global community of innovation practitioners from within UNHCR and partner organisations, and receive guidance throughout your innovation project.
Practical Project Application
Fellows advance real innovation projects tied to their everyday work — applying learning to challenges related to refugee protection, shelter, food security, inclusion, data use, and more.
Organizational Impact
Fellows become catalysts for change within their teams and divisions, helping build a culture of innovation and human-centred problem solving.
Programme Focus
The Innovation Fellowship emphasises:
- People-centred innovation that incorporates diverse perspectives
- Experimentation as a structured process
- Collaboration across teams and functions
- Solutions that improve outcomes for displaced people in humanitarian settings
The skills and insights Fellows build are designed to be applied directly to operational practice and sustained beyond the formal fellowship period.
How to Apply
- Visit the UNHCR Innovation Fellowship page:
https://www.unhcr.org/innovation/innovation-fellowship/ - Check the current call for applications details, eligibility, and timelines (these typically vary by year).
- Complete and submit the online application form as directed on the official page.
- Shortlisted applicants are contacted with details on selection steps.
Because the programme is designed for current staff or affiliates, applicants should ensure they have support from their supervisor if required by the application process.