South Asia’s first ever Social Innovation Lab takes shape in SL

Providing a steppingstone towards a new era of economic development, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) yesterday entered into an agreement with  the Science, Technology and Research Ministry to set up Sri Lanka’s first Social Innovation Lab, which will also be the first in the region.

The establishment of this lab is one of the main outcomes of the first national summit on ‘Foresight and Innovation for Sustainable Human Development’, which was hosted by UNDP and the National Policies and Economic Affairs Ministry together with other public and private sector partners in May 2016.  

The Innovation Lab, which is a co-financed initiative which will be operational by January 2018, will be aligned to support national development priorities through the prototyping of development ideas to complement accelerated initiatives.  

Addressing the media UNDP Country Director Jorn Sorensen said foresight and innovation were two crucial factors of development planning and insisted the establishment of the Social Innovation Lab would be one of the many very positive initiatives to bring Sri Lanka forward.

The co-financed initiative will cost $ 1 million for a period of three and a half years, where the UNDP is injecting over half a million dollars, while also incorporating its resources and technical expertise from the region, he told the Daily FT.

Outlining the importance of this collaborative initiative, he said: “It is imperative that development efforts are done in collaboration with multiple partners, and at this momentous juncture we are pleased to be partnering with the Science, Technology and Research Ministry. We are certain this joint initiative will pave the way for more collaborative efforts between UNDP and the Government of Sri Lanka to create impactful results to help Sri Lanka achieve sustainable human development.”

Sorensen also said they would hire new staff under the UNDP process to run the lab, whose work they will be administering and overseeing as an advisory body. “We will report it to the advisory committee, which is steered by the subject minister and will be co-chaired by myself. There will be representatives from the Finance, Wildlife, Sustainable Development, Science, Technology and Research, as well as Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure ministries.”

Although the lab will initially be a collaboration between the Science, Technology and Research Ministry and UNDP, they expect to open it out for other ministries going forward while adopting best practices from other labs around the world, especially from Denmark, Singapore and Malaysia.

Not to be mistaken with a policy or idea-implementing agency, the lab will be able to comprehensively assess an initial idea within a given timeline. With the ever-changing political, social and environmental challenges, the Social Innovation Lab will be a rapid prototyping facility for development efforts – in the form of an idea, a problem or a solution – using foresight tools to take into account multiple alternative future scenarios to make the idea or solution future-proof.

A typical lab cycle will happen over a period of 28 days, which will be consulted by international and local experts related to the issue bringing in different perspectives ranging from behavioural psychology, sociology, big data analysis and digital design to provide a positive impact rather than a onetime fix. The solutions will be aligned with national priorities and the latest trends in public opinion and as a result the Government will be able to avoid any negative publicity caused from unsuccessful policies.

However, for more in-depth issues the lab will run cycles of four to six months with extensive online and offline consultations.  Preparedness and response for natural disasters, effective solid waste management and improved road traffic management were outlined as few significant issues the lab can find solutions to.

Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha said the new era of economic and social development of the Government’s strongly depended on science, technology and innovation to create a knowledge-based economy and stressed that this initiative would help Sri Lanka make giant strides as part of the Government’s ambitious vision to bring much-needed value addition through foresight and innovation.

According to him, the Social Innovation Lab will be located at the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) premises in Colombo. 

Noting that developed countries allocate 3% of their GDP for R&D and innovation, he pointed out that it was a timely need for Sri Lanka to enter into such an initiative. 

“At a time like this, we are pleased to partner with one of the leading development actors in the country, UNDP, to establish Sri Lanka’s first Social Innovation Lab. It will provide a conducive environment to look at problems from different perspectives taking variant approaches to overcome obstacles and form sustainable solutions by engaging stakeholders. I am confident that this initiative will contribute immensely for the betterment of the country,” Premajayantha added.    

Science, Technology and Research Secretary Udaya Seneviratne and UNDP Sri Lanka Deputy Country Director Lovita Ramguttee were also present at the launch press conference.