2nd Call for Proposals: RAISE-FS Innovation Fund (Ethiopia)

The Stichting Wageningen Research (SWR) Ethiopia is implementing the Resilient Agriculture for Inclusive and Sustainable Food Systems (RAISE-FS), a project designed with the goal of creating evidence for practices that contribute to transformation of the food system by addressing leverage points in relation to productivity, enhanced value chain performance and improved human nutrition for improved food security while minimizing the impact on the environment and ensuring social inclusion.

Among its interventions is, a component on promoting private sector driven innovation via a grant scheme called the “Innovation Fund” that offers funding. These innovation projects are expected to address hindering challenges in various agricultural sub-sectors in Ethiopia while benefiting smallholder farmers, improve food systems and/or enhance export of selected commodities.

Grant Amount

• Grant Category – A: €25,001- €50,000
• Grant Category – B: €10,001- €25,000

Costs covered by the innovation fund

• RAISE-FS innovation fund will cover costs for purchasing machinery, equipment and consumable items crucially required for implementing project activities;
• Hiring skilled and casual labour vitally important for implementing innovation related activities;
• Acquiring farm inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, laboratory chemicals, packing material, etc.) depending on the nature of the project.

Innovations that are not eligible for funding

• Innovations that have been funded by RAISE-FS in the first-round Call or by Bilateral Ethiopia-Netherlands Effort for Food Income and Trade (BENEFIT), the predecessor of RAISE-FS are not eligible for funding.
• Projects funded by the Dutch Government through its Embassy in Addis Ababa and managed by different NGOs in Ethiopia are not eligible. Similarly, projects being supported by any other donor and is not yet completed are not allowed to apply. Projects applied with different names, but content-wise same are not eligible.

Criteria

In order to be eligible for the Innovation Fund, applicants and projects need to meet the following criteria:

• The project should address challenges in the poultry, pulses, spices, oilseeds, potato or vegetable sector.
• Should be a project not being supported or approved for funding by any other donor.
• The project should directly or indirectly benefit farmers, processors, consumers and/or contribute to youth and women economic empowerment.
• The project should be implemented within one year.
• Applicants are required to make cash and in-kind contributions towards the project.
• The applicant should be able to present a valid Ethiopian business license. As such, there is no restriction on shareholder nationality of applicant companies.
• Partnerships of multiple companies, NGOs, research institutions, etc. are allowed to submit an application, as long as this partnership consists of at least one company that possesses Ethiopian business license. In this case, the licensed company will be an applicant for the grant, and will be end responsible for project implementation.
• Foreign companies without Ethiopian business license are only allowed to apply in partnership with a company that possesses an Ethiopian business license. In this case, the licensed company will be the applicant for the grant, and will be end-responsible for project implementation.
• Applicants (principal applicant in the case of group applicants) can’t receive grant funding for more than one project at a time.
• Partner companies, NGOs, research institutions can be involved in more than one project at a time.
• Companies can only re-apply a rejected proposal once. After the second rejection, the same project idea cannot be submitted again.

For more information, visit Stichting Wageningen Research (SWR).