Category
Announcement
Reading time
Published
January 21, 2026
Author
Lauren Parater

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, the urgency to become more agile, innovative and future-ready has never been greater. 

A changing world needs a United Nations that adapts just as fast, which is why the UN Global Pulse Accelerator is launching its next call for applications, inviting UN teams to submit their innovative solutions ready to scale.

The UN Global Pulse Accelerator is the United Nations’ programme to support the scaling of promising, innovative solutions, ensuring that exceptional UN-led pilots maximize their impact for the people we serve. The programme supports UN-led teams in developing sustainable, realistic and impactful scaling strategies for their innovative solutions. Those with the most compelling strategies will be awarded a grant and tailored mentoring to help implement them. 

The Accelerator is open to teams across the UN family working on innovative solutions that have been piloted at least once and can provide evidence of positive outcomes.

The application period will be open from 21 January until midnight on 11 February 2026 EST. 

Read more about the programme and the application process in our FAQs.

You can submit your application through this form.

For our fourth cohort, we’re looking for solutions that:

  • Demonstrate their readiness to transition to scale.
  • Demonstrate their ability to achieve tangible results in development and/ or humanitarian action, with data, digital technologies and/ or AI serving as enabling components.  Approaches may be low-tech, high-tech or hybrid, provided they are appropriate to the context and problem being addressed.
  • Will enhance the UN’s delivery of outcomes for people and planet, support UN80 priorities on effectiveness and efficiency and the central promise of Agenda 2030 to leave no one behind.

Selection Criteria

To qualify as an innovation project, it must show how it delivers impact by creating or adapting a product, service, process, or system that adds new value. This can be done by addressing an existing problem, seizing an opportunity, or meeting an anticipated need. 

Additionally, the innovation project must be led by at least one UN entity. Projects run solely by non-UN entities, or those only endorsed, branded, or funded by the UN, will not be considered.

  • Addresses one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Piloted at least once in the local context of the challenge it seeks to solve, with evidence of positive outcomes.
  • Demonstrates how it applies data, digital technologies, and/or AI as an enabling component in the solution.
  • Demonstrates how these cross-cutting themes: human rights, gender equality, diversity and inclusion are taken into account. 
  • Demonstrates a human-centred, co-creation approach in the innovation design process.

We encourage applications that: 

We prioritize applications that have already established partnerships with the private sector, government bodies and other diverse stakeholders. 

Today, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals demands collective action, agile responses to emerging challenges and greater impact for people and planet. We look forward to receiving your applications and working together toward a more digital, data-driven and future-ready United Nations.

Want to know more?

If you’re interested in this opportunity and would like to learn more, please review the FAQs for further details. You can also learn more about our most recent cohort and the innovative solutions supporting the UN’s transformation.

We also encourage all interested applicants to attend a Q&A session, where Accelerator Programme staff will be available to answer any questions. Register below for one of the four upcoming sessions:

  • January 28, 2026 at – 8 AM CET / 2 PM ICT – register here
  • January 28, 2026 at 9 AM EST / 3 PM CET / 9 PM ICT – register here
  • February 4, 2026 at 8 AM CET / 2 PM ICT- register here
  • February 4, 2026 at 9 AM EST / 3 PM CET / 9 PM ICT – register here

If you have further questions about the programme or application process, reach out to us at events@unglobalpulse.org. 

The UN Global Pulse Accelerator Programme is generously funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, reflecting Finland’s long-standing commitment to the United Nations and its leadership in advancing innovation for sustainable development. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs plays a key role in promoting the responsible use of innovation across UN operations, with a strong emphasis on people-centred design, data, digital tools and artificial intelligence.