Eligibility

Applicants must fulfil the following eligibility requirements:

• The main applicant must be a company or organisation based outside one of the 14 countries, and its partner organisation (the potential customer) must be legally registered in the project country.
• The partners must have signed a Memorandum of Understanding or similar agreement before applying.
• As guiding principle companies or private organisations applying and their partners should have at least 3 employees and have been operating for about 3 years. We particularly encourage applications from small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Both partners must exhibit sound finances and a reasonable turnover.

Note that no organisation, private or public, is eligible for funds if it is involved in any of the following:

• The manufacture of arms and/or their components
• The tobacco industry
• The alcohol industry

Projects

Applications are scored based on six key areas:

• Impact
• Technical solution
• Market potential and commercial viability
• Partners
• Project plan, budget and risks
• Additionality

Projects must fulfil the following eligibility requirements:

• The project’s activities involve exploring new market opportunities, understanding local conditions, and strengthening partnerships.
• The project involves the introduction of new technology or business models in one of the 14 available countries.
• The technology in question has already been proven and sold in another market.

Examples on suitable project activities:

• Feasibility studies or market research investigating rules and requirements relevant to the project country
• Meetings with partners and other local stakeholders to draw up business plans or plan joint activities and projects
• Capacity development and sharing of knowledge between the partners.