# Exploring new options and alternatives R\&D unfolds at the boundaries of what we currently know, and what we can imagine. New options emerge from the margins of development ecosystems, early signals of change, new perspectives, untapped knowledge sources, emerging technologies, grassroot innovations and reimagining of what's possible. By looking beyond the obvious and deliberately exploring and co-creating new options, as well as creating space for serendipity and combining local knowledge with new data, digital tools, and experimental methods, we discover new potential pathways to sustainable development. This approach helps us identify solutions and practices that are more adaptable, resource-efficient, culturally relevant, and responsive to the dynamic nature of complex development challenges. These challenges require us to step outside our comfort zones, expand our understanding, develop new lenses and frames to see with, and adopt new mental models to think and imagine with. When exploring new options and alternatives, we must ensure the process is inclusive, bringing in the voices and perspectives of those who are or will be affected. This also enriches the exploration process itself, as diverse stakeholders often hold unique insights and knowledge that can reveal unexpected possibilities that might otherwise remain undiscovered. ## What we do to make big steps forward ### Exploring the adjacent possible We systematically scan the edges of current realities to detect weak signals of change, emerging grassroots solutions, untapped data sources, and latent capabilities. This exploration requires deliberate attention to what already exists but lies just beyond our current awareness. By searching at the periphery of our perception, we discover solutions and innovations that are one step removed from becoming the next leap forward in making progress. This approach creates space for serendipity and bricolage, which is especially useful in situations with limited resources. By combining existing elements in new ways, we can discover unexpected possibilities or create sustainable development options. ### Developing new ways of seeing Together with stakeholders, we develop new ways of looking at situations or issues through different lenses. Seeing an issue differently – or [reframing](/undp-accelerator-labs/references/glossary.md#reframing) it – helps us understand it in new ways, often revealing alternative opportunities that were previously invisible or considered impossible. Reframing shapes our attention by highlighting certain aspects while helping us "unsee" others. These new frames can also serve as powerful communication devices, enabling a wider range of ecosystem actors to understand a situation differently and create momentum for collective action. ### Exploring alternative futures together We collaborate with diverse stakeholders to imagine and understand multiple possible futures. Through participatory processes, we co-create scenarios exploring both what might happen and what these futures would mean for different actors, communities, and ecosystems. This collective imagining builds a shared understanding of possibilities, risks, and opportunities while developing our collective capacity to adapt to or shape these futures. ### Co-creating new possibilities We bring together diverse perspectives, knowledge, and resources to generate solutions that no single actor could develop alone. By combining insights from grassroots innovators, technical experts, end-users and affected communities, we tap into the collective creativity and ability to solve problems and create solutions that are both technically sound, culturally appropriate, financially viable and address actual needs. This co-creation process not only yields better solutions but also builds ownership and agency within communities, enabling them to develop sustainable livelihoods. {% hint style="info" %} #### Reflection questions These reflection questions help us look beyond the obvious, challenge our existing thinking, develop new ways of seeing and reimagining what's possible. * Which mental models or frames are we currently using, and how might alternative perspectives reshape our understanding of the challenge? * Whose perspectives or knowledge are we currently overlooking that could reveal unexpected solutions? * Which structures and processes can we put in place to scan for, capture, and make sense of emerging signals of change? * How can we deliberately explore beyond our current awareness to uncover unseen solutions and capabilities? * How are we creating space for serendipity and unexpected discoveries in our exploration process? * How do we create spaces where diverse stakeholders can explore, imagine, and develop new possibilities together? * How can we build collective capacity to imagine and create alternative futures? Who should be involved in imagining and creating alternatives? * How can we ensure that stakeholders of different backgrounds understand what is taking place? {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} #### Methods and enabling technologies * [**Foresight**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#foresight) to explore multiple possible futures and prepare for uncertainty * [**Horizon scanning**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#horizon-scanning) to detect weak signals of emerging changes and assess their potential impact * [**Social imagination**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#social-imagination) to bring diverse stakeholders together to envision futures a generation ahead and find shared aspirations beyond current divisions * [**Co-creation**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#co-creation) to develop novel solutions by bringing together different types of knowledge, experiences and perspectives as equal partners * [**Solutions mapping**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#solutions-mapping) to find what exists already – in the adjacent possible – that might open new pathways * [**Prototyping**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#prototyping) to make tacit needs visible through tangible examples that help stakeholders see what they want * [**Behavioral insights**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#behavioral-insights) to understand challenges through a behavioral lens and apply psychological principles to address them * [**Innovation awards**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#innovation-awards) to raise awareness of specific development issues while identifying and attracting innovators for potential collaboration * [**Hackathons**](/undp-accelerator-labs/doing-r-and-d/6.-r-and-d-methods-and-enabling-technologies.md#hackathons) to rapidly generate diverse technology-driven options showing new possibilities {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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