Innovation for Development - Innovazione per lo sviluppo

A program aimed to foster collaboration between the worlds of innovation and international development cooperation.

Innovation for Development (Innovazione per lo Sviluppo) is a program promoted by Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo.

Thanks to various networking activities, a community and a network of partners have been consolidated, proposing training and capacity-building courses for professionals in international development cooperation. The involved Civil Society Organizations have then initiated collaborations with innovators, implementing open innovation projects, particularly in African countries.

Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo invested more than 6 million euros in the Innovation for Development program.

Projects

Between 2016 and 2023, Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo supported 59 open innovation projects, that collectively reached around 40 thousand direct beneficiaries and more than 600 thousand indirect beneficiaries, including Civil Society Organizations, innovators, local communities and institutions in Italy and Africa.

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Video stories

In 2022, we used video testimonials gathered by Civil Society Organizations to share compelling stories inspired by the projects we supported.

Capacity Building

Between 2019 and 2022, we supported 26 training and capacity-building tracks, organized by 17 technical partners, dedicated to innovation topics such as data for development, project management, and entrepreneurial approaches and leadership. These trainings enabled 1,400 participants.

Starting in 2023, Innovation for Development Next sustains capacity-building plans that can ensure the continuity of training initiatives in the medium term.

Resources

Presentations, video recordings, and downloadable kits. Here are the materials available for those who work in the international development cooperation and social innovation sectors. [Archive in Italian]

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Networking

Events served as opportunities for gathering and networking for the Innovation for Development community, which reached a total of 10,000 people in 2023. Throughout three editions (2017, 2019, 2023), the Innovation Open Days brought together approximately 1,500 participants both in-person and through hybrid modes.

The series of webinars, Innovation Open Talks, initiated in response to the health emergency in 2020, attracted 600 participants.

Trailer

Mabadiliko: Stories of change and innovation

A documentary, directed by Cristian Afker and Andrea Vernoli, and produced by Innovation for Development, aims to capture three virtuous journeys of transformation in Kenya. The documentary focuses on the themes of sustainable agriculture, circular economy, and affordable healthcare.

Reportage

by Stefano Stranges

During the filming of the documentary “Mabadiliko,” Stefano Stranges created a photographic reportage that shows us the communities where the projects have been implemented.

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