Deadline: 10 April 2020
The crisis caused by the COVID 19 virus in Serbia is accelerating. The Government has introduced measures to control the epidemic in its initial phase and to overcome it on mid/ longer-term. To improve needed capacities the government is procuring necessary medical supplies, machinery and equipment for a systematic response to the outbreak. In this context, the United Nations Development Programme, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, is launching a Challenge for proposing new, innovative solutions or replicate solutions existing in other parts of the world, to protect service providers and caregivers from COVID-19 and to minimize the risk of transmission.
The global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created severe shortages around the world, including in Serbia. Although the population in Serbia is displaying solidarity, and the Government is further promoting it, while some businesses are already venturing into production, more can be done by the private sector in Serbia to produce the necessary medical supplies, machinery and equipment that are crucial for a systematic response.
The goal of the Challenge is to not only incentivize production by the private sector, but also stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in the time of crisis.
UNDP Serbia is therefore soliciting legal entities to propose innovative ways of producing or procuring innovative products, technological solutions and new value chains for the production or procuring of:
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) (i.e. masks, gloves, visors, etc.) to support the government service providers and most vulnerable communities and caregivers;
- Medical equipment such as respirators/ventilators;
- Production of COVID 19 testing kits;
- Healthcare waste management processes and equipment.
What is considered as innovation?
- New technologies or new application of existing technological solutions (First-ofits kind in Serbia);
- New/improved business models or processes;
- New value chain;
- Finding sustainable solutions that lead to long-lasting change;
- Involvement of different sector stakeholders in defining/ proposing solutions;
- Solving social issues (gender equality, engagement or impact on marginalized groups, unemployment etc).
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants are legal entities which are:
- Public companies;
- Commercial organization/businesses (Ltd, entrepreneurs);
- Research institutions;
- Exceptionally competent or relevant civil society organization (in exceptional cases).
- All applicants have to be registered in Serbia, according to national legislation.
- Applicants can apply independently or in Consortia. If applying in Consortia, the Lead Applicant has to be identified, to represent the Consortia and serve as the main point of contact throughout the application process. The lead applicant will also be the main recipient of the funds vis-à-vis project resources.
- There is no limitation as to how many proposals one legal entity can apply with or in how many consortia it can participate.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2X4qLIM