As humanitarian needs rise and funding tightens, new research highlights a critical challenge in aid delivery: while collaboration in supply chains is widely recognized as essential, making it work in practice remains complex. The findings are presented in a newly released report.
The research, Strengthening Interoperability and Collaboration in Humanitarian Supply Chains, was led by Professor Nathan Kunz of the University of Fribourg and funded by HELP Logistics, an initiative of the Kühne Foundation.
Drawing on an analysis of ten major collaboration initiatives and interviews with experts across UN agencies, international organizations, donors, and the private sector, the study examines what drives collaboration, what holds it back, and where the greatest opportunities lie.
The study finds that the main challenges to collaboration are not primarily technical, but structural and institutional. These include a lack of trust, differences in organizational processes, misaligned incentives, competition for funding and visibility, and the complexity of coordinating across multiple actors.
“Many discussions around interoperability focus on systems and technology,” said Professor Nathan Kunz, author of the study. “But our findings show that the real barriers are institutional. While digital tools and data systems can support collaboration, real progress depends less on new tools and more on aligning incentives, strengthening governance, and building trust across organizations.”
At the same time, the research identifies significant untapped potential in key areas of humanitarian supply chains. Functions such as procurement and transportation, among the most resource-intensive activities, continue to be managed in parallel across agencies, even though they offer some of the greatest opportunities for efficiency gains through collaboration.
“Supply chain collaboration is widely recognized as a powerful lever for unlocking efficiencies in humanitarian operations,” said Dr. Jonas Stumpf, Europe Regional Director at HELP Logistics. “The ‘how’ remains often ambiguous, involving a complex change management process shaped by diverse perspectives and interests. This research aims to contribute to ongoing discussions by offering fresh insights into how overall system performance can be improved.”
Rather than proposing entirely new systems, the report emphasizes opportunities to strengthen and scale existing collaboration mechanisms, including joint procurement, shared services, and enhanced coordination mechanisms.
The research was conducted independently. The author retains full responsibility for the analysis and findings, which do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organization.
Read the full report here: https://www.help-logistics.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Dateien_HELP/documents/report/HELP-Research-Report_SC_Interoperability-Digital-20260503.pdf
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