Pilot opportunities for 2027 Challenge
QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge 2027
The QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge 2027 is seeking technology-enabled solutions that strengthen community resilience to climate and disaster risks.
Two pilot opportunities are available for the 2027 Challenge, each addressing a distinct challenge and offering a funded pilot valued up to AUD $100,000.
You must select which pilot opportunity you are responding to in your application, so please read closely before drafting your submissions.
Applicants may submit separate applications to both pilot opportunities if their solutions are relevant to each challenge.
Applications close 31 October 2026.
Who can apply?
We are looking for solutions from a wide range of sectors and disciplines. Innovations may focus on behaviour change, community engagement, preparedness, early warning, climate intelligence, communications, data platforms, decision support, learning, measurement - — as long as they help communities make better use of climate and risk information and can strengthen community resilience.
Applications are open globally and organisations from any country may apply. However, applicants must select one of the two pilot opportunities:
- Pilot opportunity 1: A joint pilot delivered across Australia and New Caledonia.
- Pilot opportunity 2: A pilot delivered in Colombia.
Applicants do not need to be based in these locations but should be able to deliver and support a pilot there, either directly or through partnerships and collaboration with local stakeholders and Red Cross teams.
Previous experience in Australia, New Caledonia or Colombia is not required. However, solutions should be sufficiently developed for real-world testing, and applicants should explain how they will deliver and support the pilot in their chosen location.
Pilot opportunity 1: Australia and New Caledonia
Challenge summary
People often know what they should do to prepare for disasters, but knowledge alone does not always lead to action. Preparedness knowledge can fade over time, remain with individuals rather than spreading through communities, or fail to translate into meaningful preparedness behaviours. We're looking for technology-enabled solutions that help preparedness knowledge last, spread and turn into action, strengthening resilience at household and community level.
Solutions may address one or more of the following dimensions of the challenge and should be suitable for testing within youth preparedness initiatives.
Key dimensions of the Challenge
- Sustain: How is preparedness knowledge and behaviour maintained over time?
- Spread: How is preparedness knowledge and behaviour shared through households and communities?
- Act: How is preparedness knowledge translated into meaningful action?
Pilot opportunity
Test your solution across two distinct cultural, geographic and operational contexts in partnership with Australian Red Cross and French Red Cross New Caledonia Delegation. Pilot value up to AUD $100,000.
Read more – download the applicant guide for this pilot opportunity
Pilot opportunity 2: Colombia
Challenge summary
Communities need climate and risk information that is relevant, trusted and actionable. At the same time, local knowledge and observations are often underutilised. We're looking for technology-enabled solutions that help communities generate, access, share and apply climate and risk intelligence to strengthen preparedness, adaptation and resilience.
Solutions may address one or more of the following dimensions of the challenge and should be suitable for testing within community-based climate resilience, early warning, anticipatory action or disaster risk reduction initiatives.
Key dimensions of the Challenge
- Generate: How can communities contribute local knowledge, observations and information about climate and disaster risks?
- Access: How can communities access climate and risk information that is locally relevant, reliable and usable?
- Share: How can communities exchange climate and risk intelligence across households, community networks, institutions and response actors?
- Use: How can climate and risk intelligence support preparedness, adaptation, response and resilience decisions?
Pilot opportunity
Test your solution within real-world climate resilience, early warning and anticipatory action initiatives in partnership with Colombian Red Cross and the Global Disaster Preparedness Center.
Pilot value up to AUD $100,000.
Read more – download the applicant guide for this pilot opportunity
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