BIH rolls out third installment of Innovation Fund
Pauline Dikuelo | Sunday April 19, 2020 16:56
The Call for Proposals opened applications from April 18 and will close on May 1, 2020.
The third call for proposals is targeting entrepreneurs, applications developers, indigenous knowledge holders, social enterprises, civil society and Non-Governmental Organisations.
According to the hub's CEO Allan Boshwaen, this places emphasis on innovative digital solutions, working product prototypes that are ready to scale and address the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated socio-economic effects.
'The solutions will be sustained by IP (Intellectual Property) development and registration, technology transfer and commercialisation of solutions. It is envisaged that private sector entities will have an opportunity to invest or participate in the implementation of the chosen solutions,' he said.
The Call for Proposals’ target solutions include, but are not limited to, mobile and web-based solutions, data enabled solutions with the ability to analyse and publish information on the go, working prototypes of products, processes, value-added services, community social interventions, tools and gadgets that may be of high demand during and post the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is expected that the solutions will be aimed at addressing, amongst others, challenges in Public Health Systems, Public Service Delivery, Transportation and Payments, Logistics and value chains and many others.
Submitted proposals will be evaluated for funding based on the solutions’ unique value proposition, social impact, commercial viability, technical viability and the individuals’/teams’ ability and capability to develop and commercialise the solution.