EIC Horizon Prize for 'Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid'

The challenge consists of developing innovative solutions for the delivery of humanitarian aid based on frugal application of advanced technologies.

The European Union and its Member States are major humanitarian donors. Humanitarian crises and disasters have increased in number, complexity and severity over the last 25 years. Given the scale of today’s crises and disasters, funding to cover humanitarian needs cannot keep up. The humanitarian system is being challenged to do more, for more people, and at greater cost. Cooperation between international organisations and NGOs responding to crises, end-users and local actors, research and scientific communities and the private sector is crucial in this respect. Introducing innovative solutions for the delivery of humanitarian aid could help enhance the humanitarian response, which is particularly important for those in a most vulnerable situation.

Solutions should be developed through a frugal innovation approach, and should be novel and based on advanced technologies and services, demonstrating the added value and potential of one or more advanced technologies (not only limited to Information and Communication Technology). Tested and proven in humanitarian aid delivery, these solutions should be safe, scalable, resource-sustainable, replicable and usable in other contexts.

Innovative solutions should be inclusive, i.e. co-created and developed by different stakeholders with local actors, and accessible to a large number of people in a given context of humanitarian aid delivery settings.

Expected Impact

More cost-effective, more sustainable and higher-quality innovative solutions, leading to an optimised use of humanitarian funding and an enhanced response to urgent needs in a humanitarian aid settings, notably for those in a most vulnerable situation, in areas such as shelter, water and sanitation, energy, heating or cooling, food, hygiene and medical care.