Shaping the Future

Just because the future is opaque, doesn’t mean that we can’t shape it. In an era of overwhelming environmental, social, and political challenges, complacency is not an option; the stakes are too high for us to just wait and see what happens. Through actions taken every single day, we must be active citizens and build the future that we want to see in Armenia and beyond. This, coupled with a profound commitment to community building, is Kolba Lab’s mission.

Futuring research and collaborative scenario building are the cornerstones of our approach. Kolba Lab has shifted its gaze forward in order to ask critical questions about governance innovation and social change in an evolving world. Bringing together government players with thoughtful individuals, we spark creativity, generate new ideas, and explore what kinds of intelligence a positive and more equitable future will need.

The 21st century can be a new era for social change and creative disruption in thought, technology, governance, and civic activism. Join Kolba Lab’s growing community and help make Armenia and the world future positive.

icon of a flying fish

Chasing the Flying Fish

Kolba Lab is dedicated to building a future positive Armenia. We wanted our logo to exemplify this vision, so we incorporated the flying fish — a sleek and elegant creature, a Dreamer, that disrupts preconceived notions and transcends boundaries. The flying fish is above all ambitious. Maybe its mission to touch the sky seems impossible, but the flying fish strives nonetheless, aiming high and drawing its silver arc in the air.

Kolba Lab cannot precisely know what the future will hold, but we strive for the unreachable anyway; we actively build the future that we want to see.

History

Through the efforts of UNDP and the European Union, Kolba Lab was born as an incubator for citizen-led social innovation. From day one, our goal has been to source human-centered solutions from within our local community, because we believe that the right kind of change comes from the bottom up. Now that we are a future-driven lab, crowdsourcing is even more integral to our work. By mobilizing thinkers, doers, and dreamers in Armenia, we reimagine what our country can be today—as well as thirty years down the road.

The Team

Hasmik brings a combination of hard work, creative thinking and proficient expertise in foresight and youth work into the workplace and pushes forward various project initiatives.
Hasmik Soghomonyan Technical Task Lead
Hasmik brings a combination of hard work, creative thinking and proficient expertise in foresight and youth work into the workplace and pushes forward various project initiatives.
Hovhannes is the task lead for the Future Today project, ensuring effective and inclusive implementation by bringing in innovative approaches.
Hovhannes Yeritsyan Future Today Task Lead
Hovhannes is the task lead for the Future Today project, ensuring effective and inclusive implementation by bringing in innovative approaches.
PMI certified Agile Practitioner with 6+ years of experience in project management, developmental research & evaluation. Currently leading projects focused on urban innovation & experimentation cross portfolios.
Nelli Minasyan Project lead (Urban Innovation & research)
PMI certified Agile Practitioner with 6+ years of experience in project management, developmental research & evaluation. Currently leading projects focused on urban innovation & experimentation cross portfolios.
Maria brings in years of solid background and experience.  Being the communications person she serves as a liaison between the Kolba Lab team and both internal and external stakeholders by raising public awareness of the current projects and initiatives.
Maria Martirosyan Digital Communication and Events Associate
Maria brings in years of solid background and experience.  Being the communications person she serves as a liaison between the Kolba Lab team and both internal and external stakeholders by raising public awareness of the current projects and initiatives.
All the great work won’t be possible if we didn’t have Marianna, who is expert in her job of making everything go smoothly, enabling Kolba’s Flying Fish to thrive and catch the next big thing that future will bring.
Marianna Kocharyan Programme/Finance and Contracts Associate
All the great work won’t be possible if we didn’t have Marianna, who is expert in her job of making everything go smoothly, enabling Kolba’s Flying Fish to thrive and catch the next big thing that future will bring.