Innovation for Inclusive Growth and Job Creation, Egypt

Opportunity type : Calls for Proposals
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The global objective of this call for proposals is to promote systemic change in the enterprise ecosystem supporting the inclusive economic development potential of Egypt and its private sector.  Through addressing market failures and promoting innovative and sustainable private sector development, it aims to increase the opportunity for employment and income generation and enhance the capacity of SMEs and entrepreneurs to innovate.

The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are:

For Lot 1

  1. Competitiveness of Egyptian SMEs and entrepreneurs, in high potential industry sectors improved, by accessing enhanced innovation development services, research facilities, technical expertise, and financing for innovation enabling activities, delivered through specialised centres of excellence.

For Lot 2 

  1. The access to innovation enabling resources for Egyptian innovators, entrepreneurs and growth SMEs to the knowledge, technologies, linkages and innovative solutions, required to acquire, and/or build appropriate innovative products or processes, is improved, supported and financed, through an innovation resource portal, which will also assist in securing or building technical and managerial skills, initiating business and collaborative research linkages and matching partners.
  2. Support the enterprise sector in improving quality and service attributes of product and service offerings to internationally accredited standards to enable them to exploit international markets and trade agreements.

For Lot 3

  1. Improve the competitiveness, cost base and productivity of Egyptian MSMEs, through promoting, supporting and financing, innovation activities that improve their energy consumption, resource utilisation and production efficiency.

The key priorities of this call for proposals are:

  1. The innovation ecosystem, through this intervention, is supporting the emergence of exemplar success stories that will foster the innovation culture to enhance MSME competitiveness and growth solutions;
  2. Investment, and engagement by the private sector, in innovative activities, is increased as sector confidence and recognition of innovation, as the driver of competitive advantage and growth, is enhanced;
  3.  Businesses supported, by the programme, create more, better paid, jobs, particularly for youth and demonstrate the importance of innovative growth businesses in creating employment;

Sustainable, private sector led, innovation focussed, business development services are available to support enterprise in Egypt.

The interventions should become exemplars for what is possible to be achieved though innovation in Egypt. It is important that the provision innovation development must be of high quality to support both start-ups and existing businesses and sustainable beyond the grant programme over time. This means that it must have a commercial focus, be for profit and have significant private sector participation. The main thrust should be on exploiting innovation and creativity both within existing MSMEs and in new start-up enterprises and spin-offs.

The emphasis will be on sectors such as manufacturing (including Agro-food but excluding defence/military sectors) and traded services which demonstrate the potential to generate increased Egyptian economic value add and be internationally competitive and eventually developing positions in international markets.

Countries covered:

  • Egypt