The methods and case studies under the theme of Funding and Resources will help you:
- understand and gather the things you need to innovate in an inclusive way
- invest money and time wisely
Resources
Resources are the things you need to make something happen, like money, people, tools, and even ideas.
Let’s say you want to build a wooden treehouse. You’d need things like:
- Plans (ideas)
- Wood (materials)
- Hammer (tools)
- Friends to help (people)
Similarly, we need resources to make innovation work and change happen. This includes:
- People and skills – trained workers, teachers, or community leaders who can share knowledge and drive projects forward
- Technology – tools like computers, renewable energy systems, or apps that help track and improve sustainability efforts
- Technical resources – machines, equipment, or infrastructure like irrigation systems
- Natural resources – healthy soil, clean water, and forests that can be regenerated and protected
- Financial resources – money to pay for all of the above
Some communities don’t have enough resources, so it’s important to share and make sure everyone has what they need to take part in innovation.
For example, underserved communities often lack access to basic infrastructure like the internet or the right education, which are critical for innovation.
Funding and investment
Investment is like planting a seed to grow a tree. You use money, time, or effort now so that something bigger and better can grow in the future.
For example, if you want to help a community that doesn’t have good internet access, you might invest in building new towers or buying computers for them. This helps them learn, work, and create new things.
Investment isn’t just about money. It’s also about making sure the right resources go to the right places, especially to communities that need them most.
By investing in these areas, we can help more people have the tools and opportunities to innovate and grow.
Organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank emphasize the importance of targeted investments in marginalized communities to reduce inequalities and promote inclusive growth.
Investment is about using these resources wisely to create long-term benefits. Types of investment include:
- Time and effort – volunteering or training people to learn new skills, like sustainable farming or eco-friendly construction
- Infrastructure investment – building things like clean water systems, green energy grids, or accessible schools in underserved areas
- Ecological investment – restoring damaged ecosystems, planting trees, or protecting wildlife habitats to ensure a healthier planet for future generations
- Financial investment – putting money into projects to enable all of the above
By combining resources and investments, we can create systems that not only grow and thrive but also heal the planet and benefit everyone, especially those who need it most.
The methods and case studies under the theme of Gathering Evidence will help you:
- carry out experiments, surveys, observations and measurements
- find clues or proof that help you figure out if something is true or if it works
- understand if an innovation or invention is good or helpful
For example, if someone claims ‘This new app helps kids learn maths better’, evidence could include be test scores or feedback from kids who used the app.
Why is evidence important?
Evidence helps us make good decisions.
Let’s say a group of people wants to build a new playground. They’d need evidence to know if kids will like it, if it’s safe, and if it fits in the community.
They might collect data by asking kids what they want, watching how kids play, or testing the materials. This way, they can make sure the playground is fun and safe for everyone.
Evidence is like a guide that helps us avoid mistakes and make things better for people, especially those who are often left out, like disabled children or people in poorer communities.
Types of evidence
There are 2 main types of data: quantitative and qualitative.
- Quantitative means counting or measuring things with numbers. For example ‘there are 10 apples and 5 bananas in the basket’
- Qualitative data means describing the qualities of or your experiences of something. For example, ‘the apples are sweet and crunchy, and the bananas are soft and perfect for smoothies’ It’s all about the details and feelings!
Together, these 2 types of data help us understand not just how many fruits there are, but also what they’re like and why people enjoy them.
Inclusive innovation metrics
Inclusive innovation metrics are ways to measure if an innovation helps everyone, especially marginalized groups, and the environment.
For example:
- What are the backgrounds of people who are using this?
- Can disabled people able to access it easily?
- Were people, especially those often left out (like women, minorities, or young people), involved in making design decisions?
- Does it improve people’s lives in marginalised communities?
- Are innovations supporting good energy use, reducing waste and harmful emissions?
- Are innovations improving people’s health, like access to clean water, healthy food or healthcare, and the health of the planet?
- Are innovations supporting biodiversity, like plants and animals?
By tracking these things, we can create a fairer, healthier, and greener world for all.
The methods and case studies under the theme of Community Engagement will help you:
- involve people in the decisions that affect their lives
- design policies, services, systems or products that are more equitable, sustainable and regenerative
- build trust with and empower people and their communities
Effective engagement
Effective engagement means more than just telling people what you are doing. It actively brings people into the design process, to tap deeply into their lived experience and local knowledge.
If you don’t engage with people, you risk creating the wrong thing, that they don’t actually want or need. Or worse, doing something that they actively reject or is damaging.
This kind of engagement is especially important when you are creating something in an area where there is considerable historic and even intergenerational mistrust, for example policing.
Communities are diverse
A community is not a single creature with one set of beliefs, needs, priorities and challenges. The people who make up a community are different, even if they might they look similar from the outside.
It is important that you take the time to understand the differences within a community, even if you are only engaging in what seems like a community of like-minded people.
Communities are diverse
A community is not a single creature with one set of beliefs, needs, priorities and challenges. The people who make up a community are different, even if they might they look similar from the outside. It is important that you take the time to understand the differences within a community, even if you are only engaging in what seems like a community of like-minded people.
Source
Though the report is focussed on net zero, the effective Community Engagement guidelines are applicable to a much wider range of inclusive innovation projects.
The methods and case studies under the theme of Policy and Strategy will lead you to create better, more adaptable policies by helping you:
- find the right policy mix
- learn from what works and what doesn’t
- listen to people’s stories
- use simple and clear language, to make sure ideas are easy for everyone to understand, use and develop together.
- make sure everyone who is affected by a policy or strategy has a say in how it is developed and implemented
Definitions
- Policy is an idea or plan for what you want to do about a subject, issue or problem
- Strategy is a detailed plan for how you are going to achieve your policy aims
- Implementation is putting your strategy into action and delivering on your policy aims
Inclusive Policy and Strategy
Take making a community garden as an example. An inclusive innovation approach would:
- Encourage everyone to contribute ideas or set rules so that the garden is designed in a way that benefits everyone (policy)
- Plan how to grow a thriving, sustainable, resilient and regenerative garden together (strategy)
- Have everyone works together to plant, water, and care for the garden (implementation)
To make this happen, we need to:
- set clear goals and check if we’re meeting them
- listen to diverse voices, including people who are often ignored, and let them help make decisions
- experiment and adapt, learn from mistakes, and keep improving
- measure success by asking questions like:
- Did everyone feel included?
- Did we work well as a team?
- Is what we’ve made sustainable / regenerative?
Inclusive policies think about long-term not just short-term change. For example, community hubs (like local gardening groups or organizations) can help champion ideas and make sure they stick.
Further reading
The methods and case studies under the theme of Awareness and Learning will help you:
- learn more about inclusive innovation
- apply what you learn about in the other themes
- share your knowledge with others in the organisation
- scale the impact of your inclusive innovation efforts
Cultivating diversity, equity and inclusion
You need to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in your culture and processes, by:
- identifying and addressing bias
- creating inclusive policies for processes from hiring and promotions to everyday interactions
- building empathy and respect between employees, for example by sharing experiences through storytelling
- encouraging diverse perspectives to give everyone a voice
- providing a platform for underrepresented groups to connect for example an Employee Resource Group (ERG)
- creating an underlying culture where diversity is valued and celebrated
Continuous learning
Awareness and learning is not just the first part of your inclusive innovation journey. It is something that you do throughout.
- develop or attend ongoing training on DEI topics
- hold workshops and seminars with inclusive innovation subject matter experts
- refine your communication skills
- meet regularly with people from diverse communities
- build partnerships and work with diverse community organisations
- actively seek feedback from a wide range of stakeholders
Further reading
