Call for Proposals: Capacity Building Support for MSMEs

The SAFE Pacific Project, funded by the European Union, is seeking to support and build capacity of enterprises and consortiums in 15 Pacific members of ACP for: certification, product development, market intelligence, participation at trade shows, business to business meetings, technical support in crop production, business mentoring, training and workshops, export related infrastructure and equipment for MSMEs to develop and to strengthen their productive export capacity.

Specifically, the objective of the support made available under this CFP is to increase/strengthen the capacity of MSMEs trading in in kava, coconuts, coffee, and turmeric industries targeting intra-regional and international trade including export to the European Union (EU) market, through the EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and/or other EU trade preferential schemes and to increase the private sector’s participation in economic integration.

This initiative aims to support MSMEs in leveraging cutting-edge solutions to address environmental challenges and create positive social impact. Through this Call for Proposals, they seek to identify and fund promising projects that align with sustainability principles and demonstrate the potential for scalable and replicable models in the agriculture sector.

SAFE will have a greater focus on developing environmentally friendly production systems (organic agriculture, agro-forestry systems, low carbon footprint, and eco-certification with a gender focus and will assist exporters in adapting to the impacts of climate change in export operations using appropriate technology.

The support provided to MSMEs will be in the following forms:

• Voluntary Market Certification
• Participation at trade shows, Business to business meetings
• Technical and scientific support, training, and workshops
• User friendly equipment
• Feasible technologies promoting emission reduction.

Funding Information 

Maximum amount per grant/per category

• Medium Enterprise – Support up to EUR 100K
• Small Enterprise – Support up to EUR 50K
• Micro Enterprise – Support up to EUR 10K

Expected Results

The expected result of the project is to strengthen competitiveness of sustainable agricultural valuechains in the Pacific and recognising that the results of each successful applicant supported will cover one or more key result areas as follows:

• MSME’s supported in enhancing their sustainable production capacity
• MSME’s assisted in obtaining internationally recognised quality/sustainability certifications
• An increase in trade with EU markets through the EPA (European Partnership Agreement)
• An increase in business export capacity of selected MSMEs
• MSME’s trained in Climate smart agriculture, value chain development, and marketing
• MSME’s supported to attend trade shows, industry learnings, EU- Pacific States business to business meetings.

Location

The project will take place across 15 Pacific members of ACP (the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States). The 15 PACP members are: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Eligibility Criteria

There are 3 categories under which applicants can apply (Micro Enterprise, Small Enterprise, Medium Enterprise) and the eligibility criteria under each are as follows:

• Eligibility criteria for Micro Enterprises
  • The enterprise must be a legally registered entity in at least one of the 15 PACPs
  • The enterprise must have any required business licence for the export of kava, coconuts, coffee, or turmeric, or provide confirmation as to why such a licence may not be required
  • The enterprise must have an annual turnover between EUR 10,000 – EUR 50,000
  • The Grantee is required to make atleast thirty percent (30%) financial contribution towards the total cost of the Approved Activities. SPC will assess the proposed contributions by the applicants in their application form to determine which contributions are allowable under the grant. As a benchmark the contributions proposed must be directly towards the proposed activities.
• Eligibility criteria for Small Enterprises
  • The enterprise must be a legally registered entity in at least one of the 15 PACPs
  • The enterprise must have any required business licence for the export of kava, coconuts, coffee, or turmeric, or provide confirmation as to why such a licence may not be required
  • The enterprise must have an annual turnover of more than EUR 50,001 and less than EUR 250,000
  • The Grantee is required to make atleast thirty percent (30%) financial contribution towards the total cost of the Approved Activities. SPC will assess the proposed contributions by the applicants in their application form to determine which contributions are allowable under the grant. As a benchmark the contributions proposed must be directly towards the proposed activities.
• Eligibility criteria for Medium Enterprises
  • The enterprise must be a legally registered entity in at least one of the 15 PACPs
  • The enterprise must have any required business licence for the export of kava, coconuts, coffee, or turmeric, or provide confirmation as to why such a licence may not be required
  • The enterprise must have an annual turnover of more than EUR 250,000
  • The Grantee is required to make atleast thirty percent (30%) financial contribution towards the total cost of the Approved Activities. SPC will assess the proposed contributions by the applicants in their application form to determine which contributions are allowable under the grant. As a benchmark the contributions proposed must be directly towards the proposed activities.

For more information, visit Pacific Community.