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UNHCR Innovation Fellowship

The UNHCR Innovation Fellowship is an annual, action-oriented learning journey that builds innovation skills across UNHCR and partner organizations. Fellows learn by doing – applying practical tools to real challenges in their daily work, in collaboration with colleagues, partners, and refugees.

What the Fellowship offers

Beyond training, the Innovation Fellowship supports participants to embed innovation into their everyday work. Fellows receive:

Seed funding to design and test solutions

Structured innovation learning journey

Mentorship from innovation and sector experts.

Practical tools for problem solving & experimentation

Technical guidance on design, prototyping, and evaluation.

Peer learning & collaboration across regions

Peer learning through a global network of innovators.

Support from innovation facilitators & alumni community

The Fellowship is open to colleagues from UNHCR and select partner organizations who are curious, motivated, and eager to try new approaches.

UNHCR staff (Headquarters or Operations, all regions and levels)
UN agencies
NGOs and partner organizations of UN agencies

Exclusion / clarification note

No prior innovation experience required
Applicants do not need a fully formed idea
Participation requires manager approval

Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate:

Curiosity and openness to learning
A real challenge or area of exploration from their work
Willingness to experiment and test ideas
Commitment to applying learning in their current role

How to apply

The application process is designed to be reflective and engaging. Applicants submit a mix of short written and video responses focused on motivation, learning mindset, and readiness to experiment. There are no right or wrong answers.

All applications are reviewed by multiple members of the Innovation team.

Applications are not currently open.

Explore recent Fellowship projects

Innovation Fellowship, by the numbers

324

people trained through the Fellowship

People in the field testing new solutions

Learn more before applying

Join an information session on eligibility, process, and programme details
Explore the Fellowship FAQs (64.47 KB)

Eager to hear about innovation opportunities?

You’re on the right track! Curiosity is one of the first things an innovator needs 🌟

Sign up below and you’ll be the first to know when we launch the call for applications for the UNHCR Innovation Funds and the Innovation Fellowship! We’ll also get in touch with other opportunities to learn about innovation tools and put them into practice

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Get in touch

Have questions about the Innovation Fellowship or innovation opportunities at UNHCR? We’d love to hear from you.

Email the Innovation team