The IFRC Solferino Academy and Monash University Malaysia have formalised their long-standing collaboration through a Global Innovation Partnership that brings together academic expertise, humanitarian innovation and the creativity of young people across the Red Cross Red Crescent network. The agreement reinforces a relationship that has already contributed to more anticipatory, community-driven, and evidence-informed approaches to today’s humanitarian challenges.

The partnership was launched on the Monash Malaysia campus on 25 November, where students, researchers, volunteers, and humanitarian leaders gathered alongside philanthropic supporters to reflect on how innovation can strengthen community resilience in the face of accelerating risks. The event captured the energy behind the collaboration: students presenting early-stage solutions from Action Labs; researchers analysing emerging vulnerabilities; and practitioners demonstrating how new digital tools strengthen community engagement and accountability across National Societies. These conversations highlighted the value of pairing rigorous academic research with the IFRC Solferino Academy’s extensive volunteer network and deep local presence.

This partnership builds on years of practical cooperation. Through joint initiatives, Monash and the IFRC Solferino Academy have supported youth-led climate adaptation projects, enabled volunteers to surface local knowledge that informs operational decision-making, and created digital platforms that allow staff and young people to exchange ideas and shape organisational strategies. These efforts have already touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and demonstrated how innovation rooted in community realities can strengthen National Society development and humanitarian impact.

A central focus of the collaboration is the role of students. Through the Global Innovation Partnership, learners gain access to the world’s largest humanitarian network, where they can apply their studies to real-world challenges ranging from climate-induced displacement to health crises and misinformation. Students engage in innovation sprints with National Societies, participate in foresight exercises that explore future shocks and test solutions that contribute to more locally led and sustainable responses. These experiences build technical capabilities while also strengthening empathy, adaptability and leadership—qualities essential for the next generation of humanitarian professionals.

For the IFRC Solferino Academy, working with Monash reinforces its commitment to anticipatory action, community-led problem-solving and evidence-based humanitarian diplomacy. Joint research has informed discussions on the future of humanitarian leadership, organisational change and the shifting risk landscape. Co-developed platforms have improved the Academy’s ability to listen to volunteers, gather community intelligence and support youth innovators at scale. Each initiative demonstrates how academic–humanitarian collaboration can accelerate learning, improve operational relevance and amplify local voices.

By formalising this relationship through the Global Innovation Partnership, the IFRC Solferino Academy signals its commitment to building long-term, mutually reinforcing collaborations with universities that share its values: putting communities at the centre, investing in local leadership and designing solutions that reflect the realities faced by volunteers and the people they serve. The partnership with Monash shows what can be achieved when research, technology and community insight are brought together with purpose and humility.

As this collaboration evolves, it provides a model for how other universities around the world can partner with the IFRC Solferino Academy. By connecting academic analysis with the lived experience of volunteers and by opening pathways for students to contribute directly to strengthening community resilience, this approach helps prepare the next generation to navigate a world defined by complexity and climate uncertainty. It also demonstrates the power of globally connected, locally led innovation and the role universities can play in shaping a more inclusive and anticipatory humanitarian system.

🌍 Available in: Français | Español | English | العربية