Centre researcher Per Olsson (right) has helped design the new Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellowship Program on Social Innovation.

Rockefeller fellowship programme

New Rockefeller programme on social innovation

Centre contributes to design of programme and selection of fellows

The Rockefeller Foundation announced in May the inaugural Fellows for the 2013 Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellowship Program on Social Innovation.

The programme brings together a diverse group of 18 leaders committed to integrating social innovation into their work, and interested in addressing the root causes of problems affecting poor or vulnerable populations by transforming the systems we live in – political, economic, legal, educational, environmental, and social.

The programme was designed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Tools for change
The fellows will have the opportunity to build strategic relationships with a likeminded community of change-makers from across sectors, issue areas and countries.

"The outstanding individuals selected for this inaugural programme all share a passion for change, a desire for action, and an interest in finding targeted, innovative ways to tackle complex social problems at their roots," says Dr. Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation.

"This programme will give each Fellow the tools to work for changes that result in more resilient systems, communities, and people"

Dr. Judith Rodin, president, The Rockefeller Foundation

Connecting humans and the environment
Beginning in May 2013, the fellows will participate in four intensive workshops, each held in a different international location over the next year.

Through a series of presentations, small group exercises, site visits, and guidance from mentors, fellows will gain new perspectives and skills to apply in real-time to the challenges facing their own organizations and networks.

They will increase their skills in managing and sparking systems transformation in complex problem domains, while gaining a deeper appreciation for the global scale by broadening and strengthening their networks across issue areas, sectors and regions.

Per Olsson, researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre, has helped design the programme.

"We want to contribute with insights from our research and particularly the importance of linking humans and the environment when dealing with innovation. We need innovations that take social as well as environmental aspects into account, and that are able to scale up without negative impacts" says Olsson.

The 18 fellows
The Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellows on Social Innovation for 2013 are:

- Alexandra Vogl, Urban Development Specialist, Asia Development Bank, Manila

- Betty Kariuki, Partnership and Projects Manager, Enablis Entrepreneurial Network East Africa, Nairobi

- Chinwe Ogbonna, Programme Specialist in Health Economics, Nigeria Country Office of the United Nations Population Fund, Abuja

- Jackson Hungu, Deputy Country Director for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Kenya

- Joan Leteipa, Programme Manager, TechnoServe Inc., Nairobi

- Kumanan Rasanathan, Public Health Physician, UNICEF and UNICEF focal point for health in the post-2015 development agenda, New York

- Manju Mary George, Co-founder and Head of Corporate Development at Intellicap, India

- Megha Bhagat, Business Responsibility Professional with the National Association of Software and Services Companies, India

- Patrick Karanja, Global Information and Communications Technology for Development Team, World Vision International, Nairobi

- Pumela Sulela, Global Sourcing Council Board Member, Ambassador for Sustainable and Socially Responsible Outsourcing in Africa, and Tri-Sister City Alliance Executive Committee Member, Pretoria, South Africa

- Purnomo Dwi Sasangko, Head of the Regional Planning and Infrastructure Development Division of the Semarang Regional Development and Planning Board, Central Java, Indonesia

- Sandhya Rao, Senior Advisor for Private Sector Partnerships in the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition, USAID, Washington, D.C.

- Sarah Orleans Reed, Research Associate with the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, Hanoi

- Sofi Bergkvist, Managing Director of ACCESS Health International, Sweden; and Senior Researcher at the Center for Emerging Markets Solutions at the Indian School of Business

- Sunandan Tiwari, Coordinator of the Sustainability Management Programme at ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia (based in New Delhi)

- Toan Vu Canh, Environmental Specialist at the National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies, Ministry of Science and Technology, Hanoi

- Wilailuk Wasasa, Manager of Bureau of International Universal Health Coverage Collaboration, National Health Security Office, and Coordinator of Capacity Building, Bangkok

- Yogesh Rajkotia, Founder and Director, Institute for Collaborative Development, Maryland

Published: 2013-05-15

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The Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellowship Program in Social Innovation aims to deepen understanding, sculpt new ideas, and enhance relationships in order to better address social and environmental problems affecting poor and vulnerable populations.

The programme was launched in May 2013 to help mark the Rockefeller Foundation's centennial year.

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