Deadline: 12-Apr-22
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with Monday.com and E-Governance Agency (EGA), through the Accelerating Digital Transformation Project in Moldova, hereby announces an Expression of Interest for selecting innovative digital ideas under Innovation Challenge Scheme 4 contest for the digitalization of public services, based on Digital Public Goods (open-source software, open data, open AI models, etc.), aimed at making a positive impact and supporting the wellbeing of all those that suddenly found themselves vulnerable, in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.
UNDP is leading the socio-economic response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine closely coordinating with the humanitarian response and partners such as UNHCR. The UNDP Moldova country office (CO) is a key factor in the regional response effort: Already, Moldova is hosting the highest numbers of Ukrainian refugees per capita, and the number is increasing steadily. The vast majority of these refugees are women and children (around 2/3), and elderly people: these are particularly vulnerable groups, faced with specific needs and challenges that need to be addressed. UNDP Ukraine country office has identified a strong need for support in essential service provision including providing psychological counselling and legal aid.
One of the activities under the Project is launching the series of Innovation Challenges to involve and encourage as much as possible the Moldovan IT vibrant private sector to generate innovative solutions in digitalization of administrative and social services in education and health (as two pre-identified); as well as digital solutions that support economic growth in agribusiness and ICT (as two pre-identified sectors). Other sectors may also be considered. Under both streams solutions must ensure transfer of solutions, adaptation and scale-up.
Aims
The project aims to surface, connect, build, and implement Digital Public Goods/ open source solutions in range of priority areas including but not limited to:
- Data for crisis response and socioeconomic recovery: Solutions aimed at leveraging and/or making datasets available to the public, including related to high level security, mobility/movement data, electricity consumption data, etc. UNDP Moldova will leverage its existing data collaborative with key private and public sector partners, including Orange and European Space Agency for these efforts.
- Information pollution: Solutions aimed at tackling information pollution online, including fact checking tools, misinformation/disinformation tracking tools and content moderation and analysis solutions.
- Essential service delivery in key areas including in health (such as psych sociological counselling), education, legal counselling, and labor market integration; solutions to be integrated into the UNDP’s and other agencies’ programmatic efforts at local and regional levels.
- Human mobility and support to the Government at central and local levels in making sense of the mobility of people and goods.
The Solutions Proposed in the Competition shall be for:
- Improved security of the refugees from Ukraine.
- Improved access to health, health practices and well-being.
- Improved access to education and digital literacy.
- Logistics automation.
- Digital certification.
- Cyber security and FinTech.
- Improved access to and delivery of public services at the local and/or central level.
- Financial inclusion.
- Other related to using Digital Public Goods for development response in the Ukraine crisis and related to SDGs, etc.
Types of Innovation Projects Supported
The preferred projects applying to challenge are innovative solutions aligned to the objectives stated above. Projects should satisfy all the below criteria:
- A developed idea of the innovative services/products/solutions ready for prototyping and testing or a prototype ready for testing and/or scale up. For the prototype solution, the applicant will provide evidence that it is technologically and economically feasible.
- Innovative, including new on the market, or possibly a solution that is significantly improved, having a digital component in it.
- Scalable and replicable, i.e. could be easily used and replicated by the public sector agencies/institutions in delivering better services to people, businesses, or inter-agency services, or, if solution is developed for private sector needs, it is sectorial and could be replicated within a short period of time on same market/country, or exportable (depending on the solution).
- Feasible, i.e. the solution does not require changes in the current legislation and could be anchored within the existing legal framework.
- With measurable impact on Moldova digitalization and SDGs. A preliminary estimate of SDG impact will be done by the applicant, which will further be detailed with support from UNDP BCtTA’s and Impact Lab toolkits.
Funding Information
- A single award will cover maximum 40,000 USD (co-funded by UNDP) or maximum fifty percent (50%) of the total project amount (what is lower) for innovation pilots, be it new or improved products, services, processes, or business solutions.
- In case of the CGC, such contribution normally will be equally divided between the companies in CGC or depending on the specific requirements of the specific collaborative project.
- Same is valid for the case of the matching contribution, which shall be decided internally in the CGC, and distribution presented to UNDP Moldova.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants to the Innovation Challenge Scheme are:
- The main Applicants are legal private sector entities from ICT sector of Moldova and Ukraine (or mixed groups).
- Moldovan companies shall be registered (or be in process to be registered) under the applicable Moldovan Entrepreneurship Law:
- Moldovan privately owned IT companies, registered and operating in Moldova.
- Start-ups and groups of initiative in the process to register the IT company under Moldovan legislation (registration shall take place before contract signature).
- Ukrainian companies shall be registered according to applicable Ukrainian Entrepreneurship Laws:
- Ukrainian privately owned IT companies, registered and operating in Ukraine.
- Start-ups and groups of initiative in the process to register the IT company under Ukraine legislation (registration shall take place before contract signature).
- In case the application is submitted by CGC:
- The main applicant is a Moldovan or Ukrainian privately owned IT company.
- Co-applicants from private sector are operating in any industry sector in both countries except: catering services providing only alcoholic beverages; casinos, gambling and similar activities; construction/purchase of residential and commercial space for housing/sales; gas stations; production and distribution of tobacco products; sales and service of cars.
- Co-applicants can also be an Association, Governmental Agency, LPA, school, hospital, University or other research institution, other institutions representing public, private and/or associative sectors from Moldova or Ukraine.
- The entities forming the CGC have no shared economic and financial interest; one company/institution is not owning shares or other interest in the other company/institution in the same CGC and this applies for the entire CGC independently from the number of participating companies/institutions.
- The Applicants (and co-applicants) must not possess outstanding debts in terms of public contributions.
- The Applicants (and co-applicants) must not have accumulated losses above the equity value.
- The Applicants and individual owners have not been convicted for crimes connected to business operations.
- Priority will be given to proposals that are based on using Digital Public Goods for development response in the Ukraine crisis.
For more information, visit https://sc.undp.md/tnddetails2_1/2444/