Background

The evolving nature of the challenges facing Member States in the Western Pacific Region demands WHO to transform its ways of working to provide support. Innovation is one of seven operational shifts to accelerate impact for Member States and deliver the change agenda outlined in For the Future. The Innovation and Research (INR) unit was created with a commitment to embed innovation in the organizational culture, and to help build the capacity of technical units, country offices, and Member States in the process of innovation from ideation to scale-up.

INR is seeking a consultant to plan, design, and conduct its first series of workshops for innovation stakeholders and focal points at regional technical units and country offices, who may not necessarily have formal involvement or prior training/backgrounds in innovation. Workshops should ideally be contextualized to WPRO’s specific needs (i.e. thematic priorities, specific project and programmes) and circumstances (i.e. organizational structures and policies), with hands-on/interactive and practical components that draw from participants’ backgrounds and experiences, including recent or concurrent work. This series of workshops may inform future workshops in which officials from Member State governments will participate, as well as light the spark for a growing grounds-up movement for innovation in the region.

The workshops would ideally address some or all of the following issues:

• • Cultivating interest and excitement in innovation
• • Forming a shared definition, understanding, and language regarding innovation and its importance to public health and WPRO (see below)
• • Providing frameworks and case studies of innovation
• • Extracting insights that could help shape operational plans and innovation agenda/strategy going forward
• • Positioning the innovation team as a source of thought leadership and strategic and technical expertise across WPRO
• • Introducing related concepts such as design thinking, human-centered design, systems thinking, agile, etc.
• • Empowering participants with the mindset to realize their own potential for innovation through hands-on exercises, within a framework of professional development
• • Crafting roles and expectations for different stakeholders across WPRO with respect to innovation, including mentorships
• • Informing optimal collaboration mechanisms for innovation in WPRO
• • Catalyzing a movement of innovators and generating action plans for innovation across WPRO

In the spirit of innovation, WPRO does not intend to be prescriptive and welcomes unconventional and creative ideas and proposals for the organization, planning, design, and execution of the workshops and post-workshop follow-up. Visual design should adhere to the recently-conceived brand identity of the WPRO innovation team. WHO/WPRO shall retain the intellectual property of all workshop materials and recordings for future use and adaptation.

Reinforcing A Common Framework. While creativity in the training approach is encouraged to optimise interest and participation, it is also very desirable that the course reinforces the definition and framework of innovation that is prevalent in the Region. The training should ideally increase capacities and skills of staff and country counterparts to “Rethink, Research, Redesign, and Learn”. The 3 Rs represent a cycle of iterative development of innovative solutions and the “Learn” component includes the functions of knowledge management, evaluation, and dissemination.

Purpose

To build awareness of and engagement on innovation across regional and country levels in the WHO Western Pacific Region.

Deliverables

• • Workshop planning document with schedules and agendas
• • Workshop materials (e.g. reference documents, slides, worksheets)
• • Virtual workshops conducted
• • Practical toolkit/user guide on innovation
• • Report summarizing workshops, outcomes, and feedback

Qualifications

• • Minimum of 10 years’ experience in innovation-related domains
• • Background in policy, business, innovation, design, consulting, or related fields
• • An understanding of the complexity of innovation for public health and/or in the United Nations system
• • Experience planning, conducting, and facilitating innovation workshops
• • Experience in the Western Pacific Region preferred
• • A track record of teaching and publication in the innovation, preferably in areas relevant to public health
• • Language requirement: English

Applications

Qualified and interested individual or party should submit to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < [email protected] >  and WP RO INR  at [email protected] by 28 January 2021  the following:

• • A letter of intention explaining who you are, why this is of interest to you (or your organisation), your understanding of the project and how you would conduct it (method), as well as any relevant comments on the tender. For instance, if you think something critical is missing, or the steps are not in the right order, please feel free raise it).
• • A detailed timeline for completion indicating the major steps and review timeframes.
• • A detailed budget (Budget must be provided in American Dollar and including and specifying all the necessary costs to produce the outputs, including taxes).
• • Information on the organisation’s status (university, NGO, private entity, etc…).
• • References of previous work or clients/partners in relation with this tender

Please use Tender Notice No. 120701 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.