When is the call for proposals usually launched?

The call is launched annually, in the spring - usually around April/May. Follow our website and Linkedin Page to stay updated.

Can private companies apply for the grant?

Companies do not qualify to receive this grant. Only UN agencies with a humanitarian mandate and Norwegian humanitarian organisations qualify. Collaboration with the private sector is however a prerequisite to receive the grant, but the applicant must be the humanitarian organisation or UN agency.

What qualifies as a Norwegian humanitarian organisation?

The organisation must be registered in the Brønnøysund Register, have an office in Norway and a Norwegian Board. The organisation must have a humanitarian and international mandate to qualify for the grant scheme.

The general requirements state that the project should have a direct impact on people affected by humanitarian crises. Within green response it is often a more collective, long term outcome. How does this requirement fit with green response?

Yes, with green response the impact is not always immediate and direct. Within green response we will encourage to include users/affected populations in the innovation process. It is important that the solutions are designed in partnership with the users. We recommend that you try to define the possible long-term impact this can have for affected people.

The call encourages to share information across disciplines, sectors and organisations. How would you like us to share the information?

How you choose to share the lessons learned, successes and failures from the projects is up to each organisation. One of the projects we support created a website to share information. Other projects share learnings through their organisation’s webpage, across agency networks, conferences, social media etc.

In the call you encourage joint applications from collaborating humanitarian organisations. Can the other humanitarian partner be an international sister agency?

Yes, and then the grant holder and project leader must be either a Norwegian humanitarian organisation or a humanitarian UN agency.

How many agencies are needed to qualify for the multi-agency proposals?

3 or more humanitarian organisations/agencies.

Is there a limit to how many applications an organisation can submit?

No, there is not. However, if an organisation wants to submit several applications, we recommend that you do an internal prioritisation and select the projects that are most feasible and that could achieve transformational impact.

How long should a project last for?

The project period is two years (24 months) from the date the grant acceptance offer is signed.

Does the program prioritise any specific geographical regions?

No.

Can the project we submit be part of a larger project?

Yes, it can. In these cases, we recommend that you define the part of the project where the Humanitarian Innovation Programme funds can contribute.

Which currency will the funding come in?

The funding will come in Norwegian Kroner (NOK).

Will projects that address two or three of the focus areas be prioritised?

Qualified applications meet at least one of the three focus areas.

Are there natinoality requirements for the private sector partnership?

No.

Can the deadline for the call for proposals be extended?

No - all applications must be submitted through the electronic application portal before the deadline. The link to the portal is published in the call for proposals.

Do we need to have an established partnership with a private sector partner when we apply for the Innovation Lab grant?

No, we prefer that you do not have a private partner at the time of submitting your proposal, but you have an intent to form a partnership to co-develop a solution. 30% of the grant in the Innovation Lab will go towards doing a needs assessment and finding the right partner through an innovation-friendly procurement process. We do however encourage partnerships with other humanitarian organisations when applying. If three or more organisations apply together, you can apply for up to NOK 8. Million, while single organisation applications is up to NOK 6. Million.

How do you want us to mobilise private sector in the market dialogue phase?

We encourage you to mobilise private sector through dialogue sessions, workshops, 1-1 meetings etc. It is important that everyone receives the same information, and we also encourage that you do a combination of in-person meetings as well as virtual info sessions to reach out to a global audience. Read our guide for innovation-friendly procurement to learn more about the process. Read more about how the DIGID project did their market dialogue here.


In the Innovation Lab the process could end in a procurement of an existing innovative solution, or it could lead to the development of a new solution. How does a development track differ from procuring an innovative solution?

We would like the organisations to go through an open, transparent and competitive needs assessment and market dialogue. If the marked dialogue shows that a suitable solution already exists, you can do a procurement of an existing innovative solution. If after a thorough needs assessment and dialogue with the market it has become clear that your need cannot be covered by existing solutions, it may be relevant to develop new solutions together with one or more private partners. There are several procedures you can use to complete such development processes. Read about the different procedures here.

Source: Innovative Anskaffelser

Do we need an existing partner to apply for the Scaling Grant?

Yes, there needs to be a formalised partnership with one or more private sector partners when applying for the Scaling Grant.

Does the match funding have to come from the private partner in the project? That might make it difficult for us to work with small startups who do not have the match funding.

The match funding does not have to come from the private partner in the project. The private funding can come from various sources such as investment funds, philanthropic funding, shareholders within the private company partner(s), loans and guarantees etc. This can include in-kind donations. However, we are looking for innovative financing solutions and new ways of working with investors and other partners, so an element of “hard capital” and/ or innovative business models will strengthen the application.

What can the private match capital be spent on?

The objective of private-public matching of funding is to increase overall funding to innovation and test innovative financing mechanisms within the humanitarian sector. The grant and matched funding shall cover costs related to diffusion and scaling of the solutions during the grant period, including procurement and/or implementation of the solution, as well as testing of route(s) to scale in search of a viable and sustainable scaling model.