IsDB Transform Fund Call for Innovation (4th Edition), 2021

The IsDB Transform Fund Call for Innovation 2021 will focus entirely on supporting Member Countries response to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of building a stronger, more resilient, and prosperous future. The call will support innovative ideas and inventions that address the effects of the pandemic on communities. The program aims to identify, encourage, and reward innovative, high impact proposals that support the following SDGs: Zero Hunger, Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

With lessons from the pandemic, we can now imagine and create innovative pathways to recovery for a more resilient and prosperous future, by generating more jobs and better health outcomes. Innovation can change the way affected communities interact and interface with the world to ease the challenges and restrictions caused by the pandemic. Hence, it’s crucial to crowdsource and support innovative ideas and inventions that address important needs.

The IsDB (Islamic Development Bank) has a longstanding commitment to harnessing the power of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) to help solve the global development challenges. Our US $500 million Transform Fund, launched in 2018, invests in testing early-stage innovative ideas and in scaling innovation by providing seed money for innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs, and institutions. We provide needed initial funding or growth capital to develop and commercialize innovations that will generate economic and social impact.

Program Details

• Theme: Building Resilience through Innovation in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Number of awards: Not specified.
• Target group: Open to Citizens of IsDB member countries (Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iran, Nigeria, United Arab, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Turkey, Pakistan, Algeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Yemen, Morocco, Sudan, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, Cameroon, Brunei, Niger, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Tunisia, Lebanon, Mauritania, Bahrain, Kyrgyz, Gambia, Maldives, Mozambique, Uganda, Benin, Palestine, Syria, Tajikistan, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uzbekistan, Comoros, Cote D’Ivoire, Afghanistan, Chad, Albania, Suriname, Turkmenistan, Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, Somalia, Guyana).

IsDB Transform Fund Call for Innovation Benefits

The Transform Fund supports eligible scientists, innovators, SMEs, and institutions that need initial funding and growth capital for their ideas/projects. These ideas/projects will result in technologies and solutions that will contribute to the development effectiveness of IsDB Member Countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries.

Solutions should be addressing challenges related to one of the following SDGs: SDG2: No Hunger (food security), SDG3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG4 Quality Education, SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Provided funding to successful applicants will depends on their category as shown below:

1. New Ideas with Proof of Concept : Grants ranging from US$ 50,000-100,000
2. Scaling up of Innovative Programs in the Private Sector: Private Sector Equity Investment up to US$ 300,000
3. Commercialization of Technology in the Private Sector: Private Sector Equity Investment up to US$ 1,000,000
4. Capacity Building in Science, Technology, & Innovation: Grants ranging from US$ 100,000-150,000.

IsDB Transform Fund Call for Innovation Eligibility

Please note that your project must take place and be developed in one or more than one IsDB Member Countries. Successful proposals will contribute to one of the following:

• Creating innovative, high-value, locally produced products and services in IsDB Member Countries for local markets and export to international markets.
• Creating and delivering innovative low-cost solutions to serve poor communities in Member Countries to facilitate access to social and basic services interrupted by the pandemic. This includes but is not limited to
  1. education and schools,
  2. physical distancing and hygiene,
  3. home delivery and shopping,
  4. mental and psychological support, and
  5. communication and virtual business.
• Boosting or enhancing manufacturing capabilities in Member Countries, particularly for strategically important products (e.g., vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, medical supplies, water and sanitation systems, energy systems, high value industrial products)
• Creating innovative products and services that that support supply chain management for strategically important products (e.g., vaccines, medical oxygen maintenance, medical supplies, etc.) in Member Countries.
• Applying advanced technologies (e.g. IoT, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Smart Sensors, etc.) to enable an autonomous Global Value Chain and create innovative and resilient supply chain, distribution and delivery systems for goods and services in Member Countries for heavily affected industries, with emphasis on building digital trust and addressing COVID-19 vaccines value chain challenges related to distribution and delivery.
• Capacity building interventions targeted at training youth and displaced workers in the digital skills needed to advance in new, innovative, and growing fields.
• Capacity building targeted at improving operational capacities of the institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccines research, production, distribution and delivery, regulation and standardization in OIC countries to reach the standard of quality assurance and safety required by the WHO for vaccine production and export(such activities may include training, experts’ visit, deployment of software applications, upgrading of laboratories facilities, awareness campaigns, etc.).

Application instructions

Those who are interested in this program should click on the apply button below and follow instructions to submit their applications.

Please submit your application by May 31, 2021. To know more about the IsDB Transform Fund Call for Innovation, please visit the IsDB website. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.