Supply Chain Frontiers issue #42
The MIT Humanitarian Response Lab has been launched with a mission to meet human needs with more efficient public, non-profit and private supply chains capable of responding to unexpected, large-scale demand. Dr. Jarrod Goentzel is Director of the Lab, which resides within the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.
There are three primary reasons for launching the Response Lab at this time, says Goentzel. First, the humanitarian sector is beginning to formalize a professional approach to supply chain management; similar to the evolution of private sector supply chains over the past 30 years. Second, the explosive growth in the use of communications technologies such as mobile phones and social media as well as readily accessible satellite imagery, offers new opportunities to better prioritize and move critical commodities during a crisis. Finally, the humanitarian sector has never been more dynamic and challenging to coordinate thanks to the increasing number of participants at the national, non-government organization (NGO), and individual volunteer levels, and the increasing complexity of global supply networks.
The Response Lab will carry out research in a number of areas. Initial projects will focus on supply chain performance measurement, transportation procurement, inventory positioning, information management, and decision-making processes. Graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and research staff will work directly with leaders from the United Nations, government and non-government organizations, as well as the private sector to improve the utilization of scarce resources to meet human needs.
The Response Lab will also conduct a unique graduate-level course in the spring semester, and collaborate with colleagues from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University to offer educational opportunities for current and aspiring professionals in the field.
“There is an acute need for better humanitarian supply chains. The good news is that we have passionate students and knowledgeable researchers to meet this challenge. The Response Lab will build upon MIT CTL’s experience in putting supply chain innovation into practice to play a key role in meeting humanitarian needs,” says Goentzel.
For more information on the MIT Humanitarian Response Lab contact Dr. Jarrod Goentzel.