Deadline: 24 January 2019
SAIS 2 Innovation Fund with a Second Call for Proposals (CfP 2018/2) is inviting organisations to submit Concept Notes and subsequently Full Proposals for its grant funding to support innovation and entrepreneurship in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The overall objective of SAIS 2 is thus, Enhanced Regional Innovation Cooperation and National Innovation Systems Contributing to Inclusive Business and Employment.
With this second Call for Proposals SAIS 2 seeks to identify concrete activities with well-defined goals to be achieved within a set time with specific activities and resources (e.g. finance, labour) by a group of organisations.
Themes
SAIS 2 Innovation Fund will support projects under three thematic areas, defined as funding windows:
- Window I: STRONGER ECOSYSTEMS – Developing institutional capacity for regional innovation cooperation.
- Window II: SCALING ENTERPRISES – Scaling enterprises through stronger innovation support organisations
- Window III: INCLUSIVE INNOVATION – Improved enabling environment for inclusive innovation activities in the region.
Funding Information
- The total budget for the implementation of the SAIS Innovation Fund Call for Proposals 2018/2 is EUR 1 400,000.
- The indicative budget as per Call Window is the following:
- Developing institutional Capacity for regional Innovation Cooperation: EUR 230,000
- Scaling Enterprises through stronger Intermediaries: EUR 750,000
- Inclusive Innovation: EUR 420,000
- Grant Period: 12-24 months, depending on Grant Category/Call Window.
Geographical Focus
- Two impartial, registered legal entities from two SADC member states, i.e. Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. One must be the Project Coordinator.
- The Project Coordinator, i.e. the Grantee, must be a registered legal entity from a SAIS 2 partner country, i.e. Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa.
- Project activities are to be implemented in a minimum of two SADC member states, of which one has to be in SAIS 2 partner country
Eligible Projects
The projects receiving funding under each thematic area need to contribute to the SAIS 2 objective of regional collaboration and learning, and should thus:
- be thematically aligned with innovation and, more specifically, support young entrepreneurs (less than three years old) and enhance entrepreneurship;
- be transnational in scope, i.e. satisfy needs in a minimum of two partner countries;
- include a minimum of one organisation from SAIS partner country and two countries in the SADC region;
- address physical and cultural connectivity and issues/obstacles for cross-border collaboration or cooperation within specific innovation ecosystem;
- address Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and trust/confidence issues by putting in place appropriate mechanisms for knowledge sharing;
- commit to regularly share project progress through SAIS platforms (on-line and annual event).
Eligibility Criteria
- SAIS 2 funding is available to registered innovation support organisations from the public and private sector as well as from academia/ university and civil society.
- Organisations (Applicants) interested in applying for funding from the SAIS 2 Innovation Fund must be either enterprises, public bodies or nonprofit organisations, i.e. so-called legal persons.
- Individual persons are not eligible to apply for a SAIS 2 Grants.
- The eligibility of the applicant is assessed at the level of the Project Consortium and the Project Coordinator as well as at the level of project features.
- Project Consortia already receiving SAIS 2 Funding are ineligible for this 2nd Call.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply via given website.
For more information, please visit https://www.saisprogramme.org/fund#call-reports