CALL FOR INNOVATIONS 2025

Community-Led Innovations for Humanitarian Response in India 

About the India Humanitarian Hub
The India Humanitarian Hub (IHH) is an initiative of the Start Network that brings together local, national, and international humanitarian agencies working in India. Its purpose is to reflect, mobilise, and act in inventive ways that extend beyond the scope and culture of the current humanitarian architecture. 

The Hub is built around three core pillars: 

Knowledge and Innovations

• The Innovation Initiative of the IHH is hosted by SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society), a not-for-profit organisation that enables community resilience through practical solutions in disaster readiness, response, and recovery.
• The Start Network, headquartered in the UK, is a global coalition of humanitarian organisations working to transform the way aid is delivered during crises. With a reach of 130 agencies in 35 countries, the Network is committed to strengthening local actors in humanitarian response. Its mission is to create a more equitable humanitarian system that empowers local communities and delivers faster, more effective aid to people in need.
• The India Humanitarian Hub Innovation Initiative invites applications from India-based organisations that are creatively working to place communities at the centre of disasterresilient innovations. The initiative aims to harness local knowledge and experience to drive community-led innovations, advancing the humanitarian sector in India to a new level. Under the current call, we are seeking to support innovations that address the gaps in fostering community-led solutions in humanitarian response.
  
  

The programme seeks to:

• Foster a culture of innovation within and between communities
• Support the scaling and spread of ideas, products, and practices
• Help communities identify and develop grassroots, locally led solutions that address critical risks and challenges
• The focus is on disaster-prone and remote areas, the critical role of women, and on strengthening local resilience. Communities are supported to take ownership of approaches and processes, drawing on indigenous knowledge, appropriate technologies, and collaborative, sustainable practices.
  
  

Innovation Application
 
We welcome applications from:

• Organisations committed to centering communities in disaster-prone contexts
• Multi-disciplinary teams with complementary skills—entrepreneurial drive, strong research capacity, and a community-first approach
• Teams that reflect diversity across caste (SC/ST/OBC), gender and ability.
  
  

Get in touch

If you have any further questions regarding the opportunity and the process, 

Please contact,
surojit.sarmah@ihh.org.in and mallika@seedsindia.org with subject line 'Innovations Call 2025: Community-Led Innovation for Humanitarian Response'.

 Call For Innovations 2025 

For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below.
 

Download Attachment:

Call For Innovation PDF.pdfx