UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge

This global open call aims to identify and support early- and growth-stage frontier-tech ventures from emerging economies that are developing scalable solutions focused on protecting children from climate-related risks. The initiative is managed by UNICEF’s Venture Fund, in collaboration with partners including the India Health Fund (IHF) and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

Why it matters

Children are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: extreme heat, flooding, air pollution, and disrupted essential services such as health, water and education. The Challenge places children’s futures at the centre of climate innovation, asking: how can frontier technologies — like artificial intelligence, geospatial analytics, and open-data platforms — be applied to bolster health and resilience for young people and their communities? 
For Eduqette’s community of learners and founders, this is a prime example of how technology, social impact and global challenges converge — offering insight into tomorrow’s innovation ecosystem and how you might participate or draw inspiration.

What participants are asked to do

• Develop a solution in one of two thematic tracks:

  1. Climate & Health – e.g., tools for air quality monitoring, platforms combining climate and health data, low-cost cooling for child-critical environments.

  2. Climate Adaptation, Resilience & Disaster-Risk Management – e.g., community-level early-warning systems, AI-driven hazard modelling, blockchain-enabled verification, resilient energy or water systems.

• Be a private for-profit company, registered in a UNICEF programme country, with a working prototype or minimum viable product, ideally open-source or willing to open-source, and able to demonstrate real-time measurable data, child-impact potential, and equity-focused design.
  

• Leverage mentorship and technical assistance: selected ventures will receive around 10 hours of technical mentoring covering open source, business development, software/frontier tech, diversity and inclusion, and support navigating UNICEF Venture Fund processes.

• Deadline to apply: 21 October 2025.

What’s in it for winners

By entering, companies gain exposure, capacity-building and positioning with UNICEF’s global network:

• Mentorship and technical support to refine their solution for children-centric climate resilience.

• Potential to be connected with investment readiness pathways, scaling opportunities or partnerships within UNICEF’s operations across 190+ countries.

• Strategic visibility: being part of a high-profile climate-innovation initiative aligned with child rights and systems-resilience draws attention from funders, partners and global ecosystems.

Why this is relevant for learners, founders and forward-thinkers

• Poised where technology meets social and global impact: if you’re interested in how AI, geospatial platforms, or open-source models can make a difference — this is front-row.

• Demonstrates a real-world example of scaling innovation in challenging environments (emerging economies, low-resource settings) — useful lens for any ed-tech, social enterprise or impact-startup mindset.

• Offers insight into what funders are looking for: prototype, measurable data, scalability, open design, clear child impact, equity-focus. Knowing this roadmap is valuable for entrepreneurs, researchers and students.

• Encourages a systems-thinking approach: it’s not just the tech; it’s the community, the local-to-global link, the service systems (health, water, education) that make innovation stick.

How you might present this on Eduqette

Section Title: UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge – Tech for Children-Focused Climate Resilience
Subtitle: Scale your frontier-tech solution to protect children and build climate-resilient systems.
Short summary paragraph:
This global open call invites early-stage tech ventures from emerging economies to submit scalable solutions addressing two tracks: (1) climate & health, (2) adaptation & resilience. Companies must be registered in a UNICEF programme country, have a working prototype, and demonstrate measurable child-impact and equity focus. Selected ventures get mentorship, exposure and scaling opportunities.

Deadline: 21 October 2025.

Why it matters (bullet list):

• Focus on children as the most climate-vulnerable.

• Bridges frontier tech and global systems impact.

• Insight into innovation-funding criteria & scaling pathways.

Call to Action:
Encourage your entrepreneurial community: “If you’re building a tech solution in health, environment or resilience, based in an emerging market and addressing children’s futures — this is your shot. Use this to refine your prototype, think globally, and sharpen your pitch.”