Philippines- Are you working on innovations to address poverty? Are you engaging grassroots communities, especially the poor and marginalised? Are you an expert on social innovation, community engagement, social change management or institutional innovation?

If yes, then share your knowledge and expertise as teaching and learning packages, and reach a wider network of social innovators and grassroots communities.

The Universities and Councils Network on Innovation for Inclusive Development in Southeast Asia (UNIID-SEA) – in cooperation with the ASEAN University Network (AUN) – is launching a new grants program that aims to recognise and connect “Innovation for Inclusive Development” (IID) advocates in the region. The IID Fellows Program will facilitate the development and sharing of teaching and learning packages on topics that help people understand and practice IID.

In line with the integration agenda of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), this pioneering small grants program helps to reduce the internal development gap among its members by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and innovations that address common development issues in the region. The program supports the collaborative efforts of UNIID-SEA and the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, through its Office of ASEAN Affairs, to push for the integration of inclusive development in the ASEAN agenda.

What is innovation for inclusive development?

“Inclusive innovation” and “inclusive development” are new buzzwords in the political and development arenas. As the United Nations, key donor agencies and governments promote more inclusive and sustainable development, current discussions and initiatives are looking into new technologies and ways of doing things that take into account not just strategic but also interdisciplinary innovation to address social needs, especially of the poor and disadvantaged.

Inclusive innovation is at the heart of innovation for inclusive development, which is broadly defined as “innovation that aims to reduce poverty, and enables as many groups of people, especially the poor and marginalized, to participate in decision-making, create and actualize opportunities, and share the benefits of development.”

The IID Fellows Program is looking for contributors who will share their knowledge and expertise in these areas as teaching and learning packages that will be made available to the public via an online learning hub developed by UNIID-SEA.

IID Fellows Program

Under the IID Fellows Program, UNIID-SEA is accepting proposals from target applicants in the 10 ASEAN member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Selected IID Fellows from these countries will be awarded small grants – ranging from US$1,500 to US$2,500 – to share their existing teaching modules and courses that demonstrate innovation for inclusive development. Proposals will be accepted until June 30, 2014.

Where appropriate, a course or module can be focused on a specific thematic area if there is a pressing concern or need for innovative solutions to address it. General themes of interest include: water and sanitation; energy; health; agriculture and food; livelihood; environment and climate change adapation.

Recent examples of successful IID teaching modules include:

– a science and mathematics toolkit developed by the Philippine Computer Professionals Union for teachers in schools that have no access to laboratories;
– an Indonesian ICT project led by Institute Teknologi Bandung where students with multiple disabilities can tailor their learning and rehabilitation program while at the same time allowing teachers, social workers and doctors to monitor their progress;
– Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University is developing a masters-level program for Innovation for Inclusive Development, which will give students the skills and techniques for working with excluded communities.

About UNIID-SEA

The Universities and Councils Network on Innovation for Inclusive Development in Southeast Asia (UNIID-SEA) is a project of the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG), in collaboration with the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP). UNIID-SEA works with universities and research councils in Southeast Asia to promote action research and facilitate the development of programs that support innovation for inclusive development. UNIID-SEA is supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).