Our research activities include all sectors and emphasize that innovation is increasingly created through cross-sector partnerships. These are key to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, the United Nations agencies are increasingly embracing innovation strategies and initiatives to renew and remain relevant in today’s changing environment - private and public sector organizations are collaborating to realize this potential.

To address this challenge, we conduct systematic research to understand which factors help innovation thrive in international organizations and cross-sector partnerships. We disseminate this knowledge to support innovation leaders and enable all organizations to learn from each other and implement best practices.

While these organizations are at the forefront of solving the most important societal problems that humanity faces, experience has shown that these problems’ complexity highlights the limits of each sector’s capacities.

The competence center was created to join forces between the i2i Hub for Innovation and the Private Public Partnership (PPP) competence centers. The synergies and resources between the two centers could be better applied together. The original focus of innovation on one side and cross-sector partnerships on the other provide a fertile base for delivering impactful research to create meaningful change in the Geneva Ecosystem.