Deadline: 31-Jul-22
The Challenge Fund: Czech Solutions for SDGs is looking for innovative solutions that generate improvement and value by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.
The objective of the Challenge Fund: Czech solutions for SDGs (CFCS) is to facilitate transfer of Czech know-how and innovative solutions that would address development challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Georgia, Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Moldova, Republic of Zambia and contribute to the achievement of SDGs.
CFCS views innovation in its broadest sense:
- a new approach, product, idea or service that has not been tested anywhere
- is new to the beneficiary country
- has not been applied to the sector in question in the beneficiary country; or
- service or business model being introduced to a target group where it has not been tried before.
Development Challenges
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Sustainable Growth: with focus on e.g., Circular Economy, Decarbonization, Green Economy, Technology and Sustainable Tourism, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Urban Development.
- Good Governance: with focus on e.g., Waste Management; Exit Single-Use Plastics; Air Pollution; Renewables, Green Procurement, Food Waste.
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
- Climate Resilience and Environment Sustainability: with focus on e.g., Access to renewable, affordable, and clean energy, Solar energy solutions, Sustainable urbanization and smart city technologies including strategic benchmarking tools for economic growth via Big Data usage, Dynamic traffic control and intersection coordination, Systems for inspection and maintenance of city infrastructure, Data crowd sourcing platforms.
- Inclusive Economic Transformation: with focus on e.g., Strengthening the innovation ecosystem targeting the youth, Technologies and tools to facilitate technology transfer and cooperation between universities and industry, Inclusive and innovative finance, Digital payments and innovative finance tools/approaches, Support to SMEs, Sustainable agriculture.
- Georgia
- Sustainable growth: with focus on e.g., Green dimensions of urban development, Public infrastructure and public urban areas, Development to attract/support tourism, Support for community areas and inclusive spaces.
- Good Governance: with focus on e.g., Building/support of inclusive society, Democratic participation, Support of the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
- Rural Development, Jobs and Livelihoods
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Environmental Protection with focus on e.g., Development of Protected Landscapes and Areas, Waste Management; Exit Single-Use plastics, Air pollution and renewables, Green procurement, Food Waste.
- Kingdom of Cambodia
- Sustainable Growth:
- Green Economy and Circular Economy: with focus on e.g., Climate resilience, Sustainable agriculture.
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: with focus on e.g., Innovative green solutions and energy affordability, Energy efficiency.
- Sustainable Growth:
- Republic of Moldova
- Sustainable Growth, with focus on e.g., inclusive and Equitable economic growth, Support of markets, employment and encouragement of economic growth, Mitigation of negative impacts of economic decline in the sectors of agriculture, market, employment.
- Sustainable Green Cities, with focus on e.g., Green Technologies & Affordable Energy Sources, ensuring energy affordability, and mitigating the impacts of energy poverty for local communities.
- Solutions on Digital Transformation, with focus on e.g., Digital Innovations & New Solutions for ICT Sector for local communities in and refugees from Ukraine.
- Climate Change with focus on e.g., Energy efficiency, Green transformation (Based on EU Green Deal), Environmental sustainability and resilience, Ensuring energy affordability, and mitigating the impacts of energy poverty for local communities and refugees from Ukraine.
- “Just Transition” – Environment; Anti-Corruption and Eco-Innovations in the Governance Line, with focus on e.g., Digital services and technologies to improve and support the public service delivery, increasing people’s engagement, enhancing transparency, accountability, inclusion.
- Republic of Zambia
- Good Governance: with focus on e.g., Access to education, including innovative ways to produce and fund school equipment and education activities, Youth employment, Job creation, Focus on creation and support of youth and women-led enterprises and livelihoods, Local development including promotion of local enterprise development, and development of new value chains.
- Nature Resources Management and Renewable Energy with focus on e.g., Innovative green solutions and energy affordability, solar energy and mini-grid systems.
- Climate Change with focus on e.g., Climate resilience, Climate Change adaptation and mitigation, Sustainable agriculture and diversification including forestry (and production of timber), fishery (with support of sustainable river fishing and fish farming) beekeeping, and support of cooperatives.
Funding Information
- The Czech-UNDP Partnership for SDGs will provide between US$20,000 and US$40,000 per project through the CFCS.
- The applicants are expected to provide additional in kind or financial co-funding of at least 20% of the total Project costs
Outcomes
- The supported outcome is a new approach, product, idea or service. The supported outcome can also be a feasibility study providing an innovative and replicable solution to the identified development challenge. The study will include evidence that the proposed solution is feasible, and implementation plan specifying concrete actions and partnerships necessary for the implementation of the solution. It will list all associated activities, stakeholder engagement, implementation costs and possibilities for scale-up.
- The applicant is expected to consult the solution or feasibility study with local partners, stakeholders and/or final beneficiaries in order to make sure that the solution is adapted to and viable in local conditions. Engagement with local partners needs to be documented.
- In case of feasibility study, the applicant is also expected to identify potential financial partners from the public/private sector, international financial institutions, donors etc. that could finance the implementation of the solution and scaling up.
- The further purpose of the Challenge fund: Czech solutions for SDGs is to generate and share knowledge. The awardee will cooperate closely with the Czech-UNDP Partnership for SDGs specialists on sharing the knowledge on the Czech-UNDP Partnership website and across the UNDP. At the same time, the Czech-UNDP Partnership for SDGs specialists together with the awardee will explore whether the solution could be viable to tackle development challenges in other countries in the region.
Eligibility Criteria
- The eligible applicants include the Czech private and public sector, NGOs, universities, state institutions or research centers. The applicants are required to engage local partners to assure viability in local conditions and to promote sustainability and scalability of the solution.
- Entities wishing to apply to the Challenge fund: Czech Solutions for SDGs need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- The lead applicant must be an entity registered in the Czech Republic. Potential participants include Czech private sector, NGOs, universities, state institutions or research centers.
- The applicant may partner with other Entity/Entities eligible for CFCS support. The applicant is responsible for the project and must warrant that the permission of the other members has been obtained.
- The project must be implemented in one of the partner countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Georgia, Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Zambia.
- The Applicants are required to engage local partners to assure viability in local conditions.
- All applicants must demonstrate their capacity to implement their proposed Project, and will need to demonstrate adequate financial, material, human and other non-financial resources to implement the proposed Project within the set timeframe.
- The Applicants are required to engage local partners to assure viability in local conditions.
- All applicants must demonstrate their capacity to implement their proposed Project, and will need to demonstrate adequate financial, material, human and other non-financial resources to implement the proposed Project within the set timeframe.
- The projects must demonstrate that the activities funded by the CFCS will be additional to the Entity’s existing activities and that the projects would not go ahead without CFCS funding. The CFCS could also consider projects that if they would have gone ahead, it would be at a much-reduced pace or scale in the absence of the CFCS support.
- The proposed project must have a potential for financial, social and environmental sustainability and scale up or replication.
- All projects must be inclusive in nature and benefit the target beneficiaries and contribute to the achievement of SDGs, rather than solely benefitting the participating Entity.
- Support of the initiatives promoting the use and production of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, firearms and other dangerous substances and tools is not allowed.
For more information, visit https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=92374