The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the European Union (EU) have launched the ACP Innovation Fund call for proposals.

The ACP Innovation Fund aims to strengthen Research and Innovation capacity in ACP countries, as well as improve policy development and knowledge transfer. The ultimate goal of the programme is to develop an innovation structure in ACP countries.

Through this programme, the ACP and the EU will make available a budget of 50.4 million Euros to advance solutions to the following challenges:

• Digital literacy, knowledge and use of emerging technologies;
• Effective links between research and innovation skills development and labour market demand;
• Synergies in the R&I ecosystem in particular with the private sector; facilitating conditions for technology transfer; promoting R&I uptake;
• Promoting local and indigenous knowledge and its use in combination with formal knowledge systems and practices.

The overall available budget will be distributed in equal amounts by ACP regions, divided into six Lots of 8.4 million Euros each. Each Lot corresponds to a geographical area, namely: Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific. While objectives and priorities are the same for all Lots, proposed actions must take place primarily in one or more ACP Member States belonging to the Lot for which the proposal is submitted.

The Caribbean lot will target 2 projects of between 4 and 4.2 million Euros each.

The ACP Innovation Fund is based on a mechanism of redistribution of resources. Proposed actions have to be centred on supporting ACP research and innovation actors both financially – at least 65% of the total grant amount must be redistributed to "third parties" – and technically, through transfer of skills, know-how and experience.

Third parties are organisations established in an ACP Member State of the targeted region and with experience in managing research and innovation projects. Third parties can be, for instance: academic and research institutions, spin-offs, representatives of indigenous communities, agencies working for gender equality in research, innovation support organisations, and start-ups.

The deadline for submission of a proposal is January 29, 2020. For further details on the eligibility criteria and to apply, please contact the International Office and Grant Funding unit at internationaloffice@utt.edu.tt.