Consultancy For Mapping Of Innovation Labs, Incubators And Media In Lebanon

DETAILS Section: SPPME Title: Consultancy for Mapping of Innovation Labs, Incubators and Media in Lebanon Duty station: BeirutReporting to: Chief SPPME Contract Type: SSADuration: 2 months Start Date: Upon Signature Objectives  UNICEF aims at mapping out existing innovation labs and incubators in Lebanon and the different social media initiatives related to them in order to shape and define its innovation and social media programme and initiatives targeting youth at first and the vulnerable communities they live in. As such this mapping will contribute to generate evidence and knowledge sharing regarding the innovation labs, incubators, organizations with innovation initiatives as well as social media initiatives involved in responding to the needs of the adolescent and youth (aged 10 to 24 years) affected by the Syrian humanitarian crisis in Lebanon including programmes, resources, geographical coverage, etc. The aim from this mapping exercise is to:a)identify gaps and needs in terms of technical assistance, resources, etc.; b)upgrade/enhance/scale up the services and information offered to youth in terms of availability, accessibility and relevance; c)avoid possible overlap and duplication of interventions; d)agree on harmonization of training and information material as well as related resources; e) enhance the coordination between the various actors and create a network of labs/ social media actors; and e)identify good and best practices in innovation and social media interventions for young people. f)The documents resulting from this mapping will feed into UNICEF strategic priorities and assist the organization in shaping and restructuring their youth innovation programme and social media initiatives if need be. UNICEF will seek to identify and engage a consultant(s)/consultancy firm which will be responsible to undertake the mapping exercise as per the following outputs: First output- Innovation Labs and Incubators:a)Map out actors including private organizations/ Labs/  banks/NGOs/SDCs/INGOs/youth networks/ministries and accelerators in Lebanon i) having an innovation Lab/programme/projects/interventions and incubators targeting and involving adolescents and youth, and ii) identify who is doing what and where with what funds. b)Map out/listing of existing training and coaching strategies and material (resources, packages, training modules, guidelines, etc.) used by those innovation labs targeting adolescent and youth. Second output- Social media initiatives:a)Map out actors including media private organizations/social media companies/ NGOs/ INGOs/youth networks in Lebanon i) having a social media programme/ project targeting and involving adolescents and youth and ii) identify who is doing what and where with what funds. b)Map out/listing of existing training and coaching strategies and material (resources, packages, training modules, guidelines, etc.) used by social media companies targeting adolescent and youth. Background Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, there has been a massive influx of displaced persons who have fled violence in Syria, seeking safety and refuge in Lebanon. In the fifth year of the Syria crisis, with more than 1.2 million displaced persons,  Lebanon hosts the highest relative concentration of Syrian refugees in the world. An estimated 270,000 Palestinian refugees are also residing in the country. Adolescents and youth aged 10-24 constitute around 30% of the refugees’ and Lebanese population. A recent “Situation Analysis of Youth in Lebanon Affected by the Syrian Crisis” highlighted the following youth priorities: a) more participation in social and civic activities as well as awareness raising and recreation opportunities and b) provision of free shelter, schooling and employment to sustain their families.As such, the recommendations and main interventions proposed by the study proposed the below services to respond to the needs of youth: a) Support projects and services that are based in refugee communities and reach out to youth within their homes; b) Design programmes with built-in mechanisms to involve youth and their families as well as community leaders and c) Improve access of Syrian refugee youth to information and services.From their side, Lebanese adolescents and youth face various challenges, some related to the usual stage-of-life issues, others related to the specific legal, political, social, and economic framework existing in Lebanon. The National Youth Policy Youth Situation Analysis  highlighted major challenges facing young Lebanese with regard to: education and critical thinking; lack of information and service on reproductive health issues and life skills; low level of participation in public issues; disproportionate unemployment; lack of confidence and increase participation in religious movements. There is a growing consensus that greater priority needs to be given to the youth and adolescent age group. It is also recognized that is growing necessity for developing specific programmes in partnership with youth and adolescents themselves. Nevertheless, there is a powerful case, both principled and pragmatic, for strengthening programming in this area to address main factors in their surroundings, namely: Vulnerability, Opportunity, Economics, Civic engagement and Equity. In line of the above, social media, innovation and tailored programmes are considered crucial in addressing the priorities of youth and adolescent in Lebanon and provide them with the required services. These innovation programmes should be combined with a social media component and work towards responding to the priorities of Lebanese and non-Lebanese youth and establish pathways and initiatives that are of interest and need for them, succeeds in reaching and retaining them and finally provide them with the needed entrepreneurship, social, educational and economical element that they are looking for. In light of the above, UNICEF aims at establishing innovation and tailored programmes to advance adolescent and youth professional with readiness, empowerment, and participation services; preparing a path for young people to become agents of social change, and ensuring that all young people have the skills and capacities necessary to follow that path.The rationale for undertaking this mapping exercise is underlined by the fact that innovation labs and incubators are emerging and expanding in Lebanon and providing the numerous services and training mentioned above. The labs in Lebanon have also access to seed funds from private companies and banks that they grant young people for the implementation and execution of the projects/ ideas they designed or would like to pursue. Most importantly is that the proposed media and innovative interventions respond to some of the recommendations emanating from the two youth situation analysis carried out recently in Lebanon . Scope of work The consultant(s)/consultancy firm will undertake the following key tasks for both outputs listed above to ensure appropriate delivery of the outcomes stipulated in the TORs as follows:First output- Innovation Labs and Incubators:1.Map out of actors including private organizations/ Labs/ banks/NGOs/SDCs/INGOs/youth networks/ministries and accelerators in Lebanon, as follows: •Map out actors having an innovation Lab/programme/projects/interventions and incubators targeting and involving adolescents and youth;•Map out actors having a social media programme/ project targeting and involving adolescents and youth;•Identify who is doing what and where with what funds in innovation and social media;•Assess the innovation and social media programmes supported/implemented by the mapped out actors in 2014- 2015 in terms of scope, sector, population groups, geographical coverage, main outcomes/results;•Identify few best and good practices in social media and youth innovation programming/implementation and describe those best practices;•Assess capacities of mapped out actors in terms of human resources, technical expertise, management skills, etc.; •Analyze the gaps of the respective including private organizations/social media companies/Labs/banks/NGOs/SDCs/INGOs/ youth networks/ministries involved in the mapping;•Propose partners for potential future collaboration in youth innovation, incubators and social media programmes and justify the comparative advantage and added value. 2.Map out Map out/listing of existing material training, coaching strategies and material used by those innovation labs and social media companies targeting and involving adolescent and youth; as follows: •List existing material (resources, packages, training modules, guidelines, etc.); •Conduct a brief gap analysis on the additional material or training packages needed and propose key areas of interventions. Second output- Social media initiatives:1.Map out actors including media private organizations/social media companies/ NGOs/ INGOs/youth networks in Lebanon•Map out actors having a social media programme/ project targeting and involving adolescents and youth;•Identify who is doing what and where with what funds in social media;•Assess the social media programmes supported/implemented by the mapped out actors in 2014- 2015 in terms of scope, sector, population groups, geographical coverage, main outcomes/results; •Identify few best and good practices in social media and describe those best practices;•Assess capacities of mapped out actors in terms of human resources, technical expertise, management skills, etc.; •Analyze the gaps of the respective including private organizations/social media companies/ NGOs INGOs/ youth networks/ministries involved in the mapping;•Propose partners for potential future collaboration in social media programmes and justify the comparative advantage and added value. 2.Map out Map out/listing of existing material training, coaching strategies and material used by social media companies targeting and involving adolescent and youth; as follows: •List existing material (resources, packages, training modules, guidelines, etc.); •Conduct a brief gap analysis on the additional material or training packages needed and propose key areas of interventions. It is thought that youth (Lebanese, Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrians) will participate in the study as input providers, etc. The experiences, willingness, availability and capacities of the youth will be among the criteria to consider when identifying youth. To be able to deliver the above tasks, the consultant(s)/consultancy firm will be required to carry out the following tasks: •Develop a plan with key tasks, responsibilities and timeline•Carry out literature review of various documents on youth priorities, innovation Labs, incubators, social media and training and coaching materials •Develop various instruments and tools for data collection•Obtain and update a preliminary list of youth innovation labs, incubators and social media actors at national level•Carry out interviews to main stakeholders active in this field.  •Initiate data collection period (either through online survey and/or field visits)•Consider 1-2 validation meetings with key stakeholders•Prepare draft report (either one or two depending on final discussion with UNICEF)•Finalize the report based on comments received from UNICEF •Produce and finalize the power point presentation with key findings•Take part in 1-2 meetings to disseminate findings Deliverables and Schedules The following are the main expected deliverables from this consultancy:1.Deliverable One- 6 weeks  post signature: Mapping report (English) which includes:a.A brief assessment of initiatives and organizations mapped b.Capacity assessment of mapped out partners along with gap and need analysis,c.Description of selected good practices (3-4) in and identified potential partners,d.List of significant potential partners to be considered for future youth interventions with justification for partnership,e.Proposed capacity development plan by group of actors and thematic sectors,f.A directory of national key actors involved in youth innovation, social media and incubators programming and implementation 2.Deliverable Two-- 6 weeks  post signature: Mapping report/ list (English) of existing material used in training, coaching strategies and material used by those innovation labs and social media companies which includes:a.A list of existing material (resources, packages, training modules, guidelines, etc.). The mapping will consist of brief description about the objectives, main users, main target/beneficiaries, availability, producers, etc. b.Brief gap analysis on the mapped out materials and additional material needed with proposed key areas of interventions. N.B. UNICEF may agree with the consultant(s)/consultancy firm to produce one deliverable consisting of the 2 reports.  3.Deliverable Three- at the end of the consultancy: A power point presentation (English and Arabic) summarizing key findings of Deliverables One and Two.  The structure of the English report (under Deliverables one and two) is suggested to consist of the following (though structure could be modified based on discussion with researcher/team):  •Brief overview and background of the mapping exercise;•Process and methodology (tools and instruments) used;•Discussion of findings and main results;•Limitations and constraints of the study;•Conclusion and recommendations for tailoring interventions; •List of annexes including tables, graphs, matrix, etc.;•References Timing The duration of the consultancy is two months starting from the date of signature of the contract Reporting Requirements The consultant(s)/consultancy firm will be expected to follow reporting requirements as per below: •Provide weekly brief/updates about the work progress to the SSPME section•Communicate any difficulties, bottlenecks or deviations from the initial plan to UNICEF for corrective measures•Take part in technical/validation meetings called upon by UNICEF to discuss general or specific issues in relation to the consultancy•Provide UNICEF with brief report on the validation meetings  •Provide UNICEF office with an electronic and hard copy of the draft and final reports (along with annexes, matrices, references, etc.) under this consultancy in English•Provide UNICEF office with a power point presentation (15-20 slides) in Arabic and English summarizing key results Requirements Advanced university degree (Master) in humanities, sociology/anthropology, development, public health, entrepreneurship or any other equivalent specialty relevant to the nature of the consultancy, with at least four years of relevant work experience in the area of social sector management and information/data generation and research.A first university degree (Bachelor) with at least six years of relevant experience can also be considered.Advanced knowledge of the global and international research/standards related to the social protection, humanitarian settings, vulnerable population (women, youth and children) and related field is an added value.In-depth experience relating to data administration/management/analysis and linkages to systems such as health, protection, social cohesion and other data management systems is an asset. Experience in working in innovation labs or accelerators is a key asset.Language requirements: Excellent command in English and Arabic. Other skills or abilities:-Proven ability to assess and analyze information from various sources-Strong analytical and research skills-Fluency in written and spoken English, and excellent skills in producing succinct, clear guidance -Fluency in written and spoken Arabic-Excellent inter personal skills-Proven ability to work with practitioners and field people-Works well within a team-Emotional intelligence-Ability to conduct users requirement gathering and designing business process-Proficiency in the use of IT tools and systems relevant to the field-Well-organized with ability to adequately manage time and meet deadlines-Familiarity with initiatives and trends in Lebanon around entrepreneurship and skills building for youth Administrative Issues Supervisor and certifying officer: Chief SPPMEUNICEF Lebanon Country Office will arrange the office space and furniture. The consultant has to provide with his/her own equipment (laptop, cell phone...).During the contract period, the consultant is expected to travel within the country. The travel costs will be covered by UNICEF Lebanon Country Office.UNICEF is entrusted with providing technical input and advice to the various stages of the mapping as well as directives to access the various partners and stakeholders.  The consultant(s)/consultancy firm will undertake the assignment in accordance with the terms of reference. Whether working as an individual or team or firm, the sole responsibility would be that of the person with whom UNICEF has signed the contract and who shall be responsible and accountable to deliver the final products of this assignment to UNICEF as specified in the deliverables section above and the reporting requirements below.Payments will be made against certified deliverables:•Deliverable 1: 40% •Deliverable 2: 40%•Deliverable 3: 20%