16/09/2026
A few days ago, FID took part in two discussions at the SOR4D Research Conference in Bern, focusing on education and local public finance.
Across both sessions, one common lesson emerged: successful scale-up depends on much more than the innovation itself.
It requires production of strong evidences, but also partnerships with public institutions, the right incentives, political ownership, sustainable financing, and continued learning as programmes are implemented in new contexts and reach larger populations.
A few key takeaways:
✓ Evidence provides the basis for policy dialogue, but does not guarantee adoption
✓ Government ownership and iterative testing can go hand in hand, as shown by the STARS programme in Rwanda
✓ Understanding why similar innovations scale in some contexts but not others matters as much as proving they work
As Anne Thibault from FID highlighted, the potential for scale is one of the three selection criteria for FID projects, alongside potential impact and cost-effectiveness.
Five years after its launch, 21 of the 119 innovations supported by FID are now on a pathway to scale or have already done so, reaching 9.6 million people.
🔗 Read the full article: https://fundinnovation.dev/en/news/news-single-4