Disability Innovation Strategy 2021 – 2024: How the GDI Hub will deliver its vision for disability justice

GDI Hub is a research and practice centre driving disability innovation for a fairer world.

Operational in over 35 countries, we work with more than 70 partners, delivering projects across a portfolio of £50m. GDI Hub has reached 12 million people since its launch in 2016 by developing bold approaches, building innovative partnerships, and creating ecosystems to accelerate change.

Our 2021-2024 Strategy covers the following 12 sections

• The GDI Hub, in a nutshell
• Disability Innovation – why is it important?
• Our mission and vision for the future
• Big ambitions by 2024 (included in this article)
• What we offer
• What makes up GDI Hub
• How we work
• Our global approach
• What’s coming down the line
• Defining our themes of investigation
• Our progress so far
• Our key activities for the next 3 years

1. From our home in UCL East we will grow the WHO’s most impactful Collaborating Centre (on AT), becoming the ‘go to’ partner for disability innovation expertise around the world.
2. We will Research-Teach-Translate, solving complex, real world disability innovation problems with practice-ready evidence. Using the ‘rinse, and repeat’ cycle we’ll help ourselves and others to get really good at this, making the translation of academic knowledge into practice easier and more commonplace.
3. We will build inclusive innovation eco-systems which provide access to new products and embed sustainability; our model will be renowned for its success and used by others.
4. We will design 100+ new homegrown technologies and tools to support our mission and vision.
5. We will reach 30 million people through our programmes to test what works, across at least 40 countries and all major continents.
6. We will influence the policy and practice of 100 governments and stakeholders.
7. We will reach tens of millions with our messages and partnerships through inclusive digital engagement and building a call to action of our movement so everyone has a way to get involved.
8. We will make hundreds of interventions which will support companies or organisations to make their practice more disability inclusive.
9. We will grow our movement with a membership model to support individuals and organisations across the globe to create new knowledge and transform lives; ensuring our regular Disability Innovation Summits, and Disability Innovation Day on the 3rd September (our birthday) continue to grow and reach millions.
10. We will increase political will and commitment to disability innovation as evidenced by growth in sector investment.