Deadline Date: March 24, 2026
The Impact Pioneers MENA is seeking applications to strengthen local entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems to accelerate solutions to global climate challenges.
The programme focuses on connecting ecosystems of entrepreneurship, strengthening local entrepreneurship and innovation, accelerating solutions to global climate challenges such as climate change, and supporting climate entrepreneurship and innovation in areas including water, energy, food production, circularity, waste, infrastructure, and transportation.
Entrepreneurs play a vital role in driving the growth and prosperity of communities, yet they require strong systems and structured support to succeed at scale. Building effective ecosystems is essential to inspire and empower entrepreneurs to address pressing global challenges, particularly climate change.
Impact Pioneers serves as both a leadership networking opportunity and a collaboration accelerator. It brings together impact-driven ecosystem leaders to explore new approaches and collectively shape more resilient and innovative support systems.
The MENA edition will gather 80 leaders and experts who actively promote entrepreneurship and innovation aimed at accelerating climate solutions. Participants will engage both online and in Sweden, creating opportunities for collaboration, shared learning, and strategic development.
The programme is open to entrepreneurship ecosystem leaders and practitioners working within organisations and networks that seek to enhance their support for climate entrepreneurship and innovation. Applicants are expected to hold strategic, decision-influencing, or system-shaping roles within their organisations.
Eligible applicants may include founders and managers of startup hubs, accelerators, and incubators, as well as leaders of technology and innovation hubs. Representatives of business support organisations and networks, university ecosystem leaders bridging research and entrepreneurship through innovation offices, research centres, or commercialisation units, investors supporting climate entrepreneurship and innovation, and public sector professionals advancing climate entrepreneurship initiatives at national, regional, or municipal levels are also encouraged to apply.
In 2026, applications are open to citizens and residents of seven programme countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia. Applicants must work in an organisation that nurtures and grows climate entrepreneurship and innovation, have a good working knowledge of written and spoken English, and demonstrate a willingness to actively participate, share knowledge, and support fellow participants. They must also have identified specific opportunities and challenges that can be addressed during the programme to strengthen their organisation’s contribution to the local climate entrepreneurship ecosystem.
For more information, visit Swedish Institute.
