The Centre for Disaster Protection has launched Labs, a new innovation platform designed to accelerate practical solutions that help governments better plan, finance, and respond to disasters.

Labs will work with governments and partners to co-design tools that improve how countries prepare for and finance disasters. By bringing together government decision-makers, technical experts, and practitioners, the Centre says that Labs will develop solutions that are grounded in real policy needs and designed for use in real-world decision-making and solution design.

Labs has already begun working with partners on its first portfolio of projects in 2026, with tools and resources made freely available online as they are developed. The innovation platform will focus on delivering scalable solutions that can be adapted across different countries and contexts. Early areas of exploration include tools to help governments quantify financial exposure to disasters, design effective parametric triggers for disaster financing, and compare options for structuring disaster risk financing instruments.

Conor Meenan, head of Labs at the Centre for Disaster Protection, said: “Disasters are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more costly. At the same time, disaster risk financing remains technically complex. Countries face difficult questions about how to estimate the full financial cost of disasters, when funds should be triggered, and how to choose the right mix of financing instruments. While tools and knowledge exist, they are often fragmented, difficult to access, or not designed for practical use in policy settings.

“Our goal is to close this gap by co-designing open, scalable solutions that help countries (and partners) better understand financial risks, make informed decisions about financing options, and ensure funds can flow quickly when disasters strike.”

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