Reliefbase

Want to participate in Reliefbase? Contact us!

At the end of 2015 there were an estimated 65 million forcibly displaced people in the world of which 21.3 million refugees. A growing number of refugee camps have a (semi) permanent status. The worldwide number of people living in an urban slum or informal settlements under poor conditions is estimated at 863 million (UN-Habitat, 2014). These increasing challenges ask for new innovative strategies and different approaches.

Reliefbase;
opportunity for
humanitarian innovation

The humanitarian sector is geared towards fast deployment with known products and materials that can be stored for longer periods of time. The development of innovative products, materials and systems has a different dynamic and is therefore less applied, also because testing and validation is not possible in humanitarian situations. It is, nonetheless, crucial in satisfying basic needs and ensuring the efficient delivery of services.

What is missing, worldwide, in the current humanitarian ecosystem is a Joint Innovation Center where private partners work together with governments, knowledge institutions, community organizations and (international) NGOs to share ambitions, programs, resources, knowledge and networks. Sharing is the asset and the pivoting value of the open innovation.

The Reliefbase situated at the former Twente Airport offers a unique combination of space and direct access to knowledge and facilities in the region. It is also a gateway to other test facilities in the Netherlands. It is a conditioned environment to develop, test and validate new concepts, prototype products and tools using HTSM materials that can contribute to a resilient infrastructure and resilient communities in developing countries, emerging economies and affected societies as part of disasters and emergency relief.

Why cooperate to improve humanitarian aid?

Only through cooperation, knowledge sharing and finding new methods can we tackle the global aid challenges. That is what drives aid organisations, business, defense, goverment and knowledge institutes in the Dutch Coalition for Humanitarion innovation.