Innovation Days

Tuesday 3rd Oct

01:30 – 02:30 pm
Innovation in adaptation: What is it?

A dynamic session curated by the Adaptation Fund to discuss a global vision for innovation in service of adaptation to climate change. The session will offer a variety of perspectives explored by a panel of thought leaders on the questions of:

• • What is innovation in the context of adaptation?
  • Why must we innovate?
  • In the context of adaptation, where does innovation come from?
  • At what scale does innovation in adaptation happen?
  • Where should more focus and support go?
  • Whose responsibility is it?

The session consists of a high level speaker introduction round, followed by facilitated discussion amongst the panel. Alternative viewpoints will be explored and the essence of innovation in adaptation unpicked. Speakers include voices from international organisations, policy, locally-led innovation, and the scientific community.

With: 

Mikko Ollikainen, Director, Adaptation Fund
Alain Bourque, Executive director, Ouranos
Bernhard Kowatsch: Director innovation accelerator, WFP
Alois Mhlanga, Climate Technologies Innovation Unit, UNIDO
Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) ONLINE
Christa Joy Burton, Dept of Environment, Antigua & Barbuda
Marianella Feoli, Executive Director, Fundecooperacion for Sustainable Development, Costa Rica
Jean Lemire, Ministry of International Relations and Francophonie, Quebec Government

Facilitation: Eleanor Saunders, Saliha Dobardzic, Marcus Johannesson

02:30 – 03:30 pm
Innovation in adaptation: What does it look like?

An inspiring session on real world applications of innovation in adaptation. Organizations on the cutting edge of adaptation projects describe what innovation on the ground looks like. In this interactive session audience participation is encouraged as speakers are placed around the room to facilitate group conversations. Questions explored are:

• • What are some of the best examples to-date?
  • What are the main challenges and/or opportunities?
  • What could innovation actors (financiers, policy-makers, private sector, etc.) do better to support adaptation?
  • Learning from experience: how can we better leverage failure?

Highlights from the in-room discussions will be brought to the stage by the speakers to highlight key ideas and thought-provoking comments. The session will culminate with a lightning round of the speaker’s best examples of innovation in adaptation to date.

With:

Rafael Moser, UNCDF
Elfatih Eltahir, MIT ONLINE
Shaun Ogilvie, Ngāi Tahu Research Centre
Katherine Bocanegra, Prakriti Resources Centre
John Reid, Ngāi Tahu Research Centre
Annie Huang, Ngāi Tahu Research Centre
Tui Warmenhoven, He Oranga mō ngā Uri Tuku Iho Trust
Emily Campbell GNS Science
Tamara Alefaio Greenstone, Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT)
Christa Joy Burton, Dept of Environment, Antigua & Barbuda
Pedro Zuccarini, IDDI, Dominican Republic
Laode Syarif, Executive director, Kemitraan, Indonesia
Phuntsho Choden, Program Officer at Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation
Marco Ibarra, Program Manager, Agencia chilena de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, Chile
Marianella Feoli, Executive Director, Fundecooperacion for Sustainable Development, Costa Rica

Facilitation: Eleanor Saunders, Saliha Dobardzic, Marcus Johannesson

Wednesday 4th Oct

01:30 – 02:30 pm
The Innovation Process: How is it done?

Innovation is a process that drives advancements in all spheres of society and economy involving a range of stakeholders that must collaborate to serve today’s and tomorrow’s needs. There is a greater demand than ever for integrated solutions that can respond to complex societal challenges. As such, there are certain well-understood elements in the innovation process.

In this high level and diverse panel-led session, innovation actors speak about their experiences making change, and shifting to new paradigms. Whilst this is no easy undertaking, change is happening, and it can be supported. The key questions explored are:

• • What is innovation?
  • What is the process like?
  • How can it work for adaptation?
  • Is innovation really the answer or should we look to existing solutions?
  • Innovation entails risk and failure. Can we afford to fail?

Speakers include voices from public private partnerships, government, Silicon Valley, third level innovation hubs, acceleration programmes, and Global South and European networks.

With: 

Andy Kerr: Climate-KIC
Nanko Madu: AfriLabs ONLINE
Bill Wright: Enterprise Neurosystem ONLINE
Rajiv Garg: TEC
Biron Nicolas: Desjardins International Development (DID)
Edith Adera: AfDB, Africa adaptation acceleration program
Rita Effah: AfDB, Africa adaptation acceleration program

Facilitation: Eleanor Saunders, Saliha Dobardzic, Marcus Johannesson

02:30 – 03:30 pm
Locally led innovation: What does it look like?

Adaptation in hyper local contexts through real-life stories of innovators
Bringing voices from the Global South, to the forefront in pursue of climate justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. This session will bring forth the lessons directly from grantees of Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA, a partnership of Adaptation Fund, EU, UNDP, UNEP and CTCN) who have the potential to demonstrate a breadth of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) initiatives at different scales.

Two of the key LLA principles are the amplification of agency of the most vulnerable, and the role of patient funding in LLA Initiatives. This session will explore these two principles through the experience of the Adaptation Innovation Marketplace (AIM), specially through AFCIA grant makers and funders using knowledge exchange through a moderated dialogue between funders, grantees and audience members.

Key questions:

• • What is LLA and why is it such an important adaptation action?
  • What are the lessons, challenges and opportunities as experienced by the AFCIA grantees?
  • What are the models of finance for innovation in adaptation?
  • How can we continue to adapt and grow this success?

The session will be a facilitated two-way knowledge exchange session between funders of adaptation initiatives and their grantees in the panel, as well as the audience members.

With: 

Mr. Omar Saleh, Zephyr Consulting, Burundi
Ms. Gina Tsarouchi Principal Engineer, HR Wallingford’s Flood and Water Management Group
André Luiz Gonçalves is a professor of agroecology at the Instituto Federal Catarinense
Gideon Blaauw CleantechHUB
Laode Syarif, Executive director, Kemitraan, Indonesia
Phuntsho Choden, Program Officer at Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation
Tamara Alefaio Greenstone, Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT)

Facilitation: David Gonzalez, the Global Resilience Partnership, Natalia da Luz, UNDP, Shuchi Vora, the Global resilience Partnership

Facilitation: Eleanor Saunders, Saliha Dobardzic, Marcus Johannesson

Thursday 5th Oct

01:30 – 13:30 pm
Innovation in adaptation: What is the future?

Given the trajectory of climate change, the need for adaptation will only grow. In this session, curated by the Adaptation Fund, key opinion holders discuss how to accelerate successful adaptation through innovation and what are the latest trends and likely future directions in adaptation.

The session will begin with thought provoking inputs and a moderated panel discussion with researchers, communities, authors, and innovators. The topic will revolve around questions on the future of innovation in adaptation:

• • What are the new frontiers?
  • Is the answer technology, society or nature?
  • What is the role of the government / private sector / International finance (grant and lending) institutions? Who are the other key actors?
  • Society and the power of citizens and communities: what will be the role of individuals and communities?

Keeping our focus on action, the power of partnerships will then be explored through a series of talks led by the Adaptation Fund’s partners.
The session will culminate in a facilitated networking event to allow speakers, audience members and contributors from across the Adaptation Fund’s sessions to interact and connect.

Join this final session in the Adaptation Fund’s innovation series not only to be inspired but also to contribute, meet others, and connect with innovation for adaptation.

With: 

Rob Hopkins: Author, From what is to what if ONLINE
Petra Soderling: Author, Innovation and Government
Tamara Greenstone Alefaio, Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT)
Pedro Zuccarini, IDDI, Dominican Republic
Markus Leippold: AI for climate adaptation communication ONLINE
Bernhard Kowatsch: Director innovation accelerator, WFP
David Gonzalez: Policy officer, GRP
Carolina Chambi, Programme Officer, Nature-based Solutions, UNEP-WCMC
Chris Adachi, Director of Climate Change, Teck
Jessica Brislin Higgs, Senior Advisor, Climate Resilience & Sustainability, Mott MacDonald
Shuchi Vora GRP
Yamini Srivastava Principal Sustainability Strategist, Forum for the Future
Siddhi Ashar Forum for the Future

Facilitation: Eleanor Saunders, Saliha Dobardzic, Marcus Johannesson