The UNHCR Innovation Fellowship 2026 – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline: 2 March 2026

Applications at the moment are open for the 2026 UNHCR Innovation Fellowship. The Innovation Fellowship focuses on constructing the innovation expertise and competencies of individuals, and helps them to have interaction with colleagues, companions, and refugees to carry revolutionary approaches into their operations or divisions. 

Over the course of the journey, Innovation Fellows be taught and observe innovation strategies and instruments, embedding these new approaches into their on a regular basis work. They deal with drawback fixing, ideation, and experimentation to develop revolutionary options to real-life challenges within the subject or at headquarters. 

Fellows are UNHCR’s ambassadors for innovation and lasting optimistic change each inside and outdoors the group.

Requirements

The Fellowship is open to UNHCR colleagues (whether or not you’re primarily based at Headquarters or in Operations, in any area and at any stage) and to members of accomplice organizations. This consists of: 

• All UN companies
• NGOs and accomplice organizations of UN companies  

It is designed for anybody who needs to discover new methods of constructing progress of their work. You don’t must be an “innovator” by title or have prior expertise with innovation strategies. What issues most is your curiosity, openness to studying, and dedication to experimenting with new approaches inside your present function. Please observe that your supervisor wants to offer their formal settlement on your participation within the studying journey.

Importantly, candidates don’t want to apply with a completely shaped concept, innovation undertaking or resolution. Fellows carry a problem or space of curiosity and develop their tasks all through the Fellowshi

Challenges

Participants within the Fellowship apply the abilities they’re studying to actual challenges they’ve encountered in the middle of their work, progressing by way of completely different phases of innovation to deal with their chosen problem. From 2023–4, Fellows explored revolutionary options in areas starting from safety and shelter to meals safety and cultural heritage.

Their tasks included:

• Addressing damaging narratives about refugees in Ireland by making a refugee-led inventive storytelling community and platform. 
• Systematizing methods to incorporate refugees in UNHCR Panama’s technique planning processes, to make sure their views inform approaches. 
• Exploring sustainable and community-driven methods to ship extra sturdy and ecofriendly shelter options in Chad. 

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNHCR Innovation Fellowship