Jakarta, 24 March 2021  – The Indonesian chapter of UNDP’s Accelerator Lab – the world’s biggest solution network to address complex development challenges – was launched on Wednesday. The Indonesian Accelerator Lab will be among 91 Labs in 115 countries that seek, test, and scale up solutions to speed up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) achievement.

With funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Qatar Fund for Development, the Indonesian Accelerator Lab has pursued an urban study on water-related issues such as flooding as part of its initial efforts. The Lab also conducted an ethnography on five disaster-affected communities and surveyed 520 people across 125 cities in the country.

Speaking at the virtual launching, Research and Technology Minister, Mr. Bambang Brodjonegoro said disruptive technology and social innovation hold the key to address some of the world’s top challenges.

“The recent COVID-19 pandemic has made us realize again how crucial swift actions and creativity are to address today’s development challenges. We need to be armed with new ideas and creativity to usher in new technology that can disrupt the old paradigm which may have hindered solutions to tackle challenges such as climate change and inequalities,” said Mr. Brodjonegoro.

“Having a convergent network of learning communities in Indonesia would help ideas and creativity flow more easily, creating rapid solutions and encouraging more practitioners to speed up the process in meeting the SDG agenda. The German Government is proud to support the establishment of the Accelerator Lab in Indonesia which is hoped to become a catalyst for SDG solution learning,” said. Mr. Peter Schoof, Ambassador of Germany to Indonesia,

“Innovation is at the core of Qatar’s rapid development in recent decades. Our communities have experienced transformative changes for the better because we keep pushing the boundaries for innovation and technology. A massive change on a national scale can start from a small, dedicated community and we look forward to seeing the Accelerator Lab Indonesia to become a thriving learning network,” said Fawziya Edrees Salman Al-Sulaiti, Qatar Ambassador to Indonesia.

UNDP Indonesia Resident Representative, Mr.Norimasa Shimomura called on all stakeholders to speed up action and adopt innovation.

“Creativity and speed should be our new mantra. Today’s increasingly complex development challenges call for new opportunities to unleash more creativity. And as the clock ticks towards 2030, we have no choice but to speed up with new ideas and actions. UNDP Indonesia is proud to launch this Accelerator Lab today as it can add more solutions and ideas to tackle today’s challenges for tomorrow’s opportunities,” said Mr. Shimomura. 

“Bringing dynamic innovation into big public bureaucracies is never easy, and there’ll always be plenty of resisters and cynics. It also looked risky setting up so many Labs at once without a strong supporting infrastructure. But without accelerated innovation there’s little chance of achieving the

SDGs. The Accelerator Labs have made a good start, with a fantastic infusion of smart, committed people and a healthy focus on practical action.” Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation, University College London and advisor to the Global Accelerator Labs said.

The Indonesian Accelerator Lab will work in partnership with the Government of Indonesia, academia, CSOs, the local population, the national and international community of innovators, and start-ups. Part of its initial action by the Accelerator Lab Indonesia is the citizen survey on urban issues on five disaster-affected communities

More than 500 people attended the Accelerator Lab virtual launching, entitled ‘Towards a More Innovative and Inclusive Future for Indonesia’. The event aims to inspire people to take a more active role in solving today’s development challenges.

The event also featured a panel discussion by Prof. Tri Nuke Pudjiastuti, Deputy for Social Sciences and Humanities, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Meirina Triharini, lecturer & researcher from the Design Ethnography Lab at Bandung Institute of Technology, Bambang Irianto, grassroots innovator from Kampung Tematik Community, and Arief Mustain, Director and Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Indosat Ooredo that urges the need for collective action in Indonesia’s innovation ecosystem.

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About Accelerator Lab Indonesia

The Indonesian Accelerator Lab was established in November 2020. The team includes Aisha Marzuki (aisha.marzuki@undp.org), Head of Exploration, Yulia Sugandi (yulia.sugandi@undp.org), Head of Solutions Mapping, and Muhammad Didi Hardiana (muhammad.hardiana@undp.org) ,Head of Experimentation.

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Media Contact

UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto, suryo,tomi@undp.org.