Applications for the GSMA Humanitarian Innovation Fund, which has distributed more than £5 million since 2017, are now open to start-ups, SMEs and social enterprises.
December 11, 2023, London: The GSMA today announced the launch of its new GSMA Innovation Fund, in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), to address humanitarian challenges.
The Fund provides grants of up to £250,000 and additional technical and non-financial assistance to test and support new solutions that use digital technologies (especially mobile) to address humanitarian challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Humanitarian challenges include, among others, food insecurity, displacement and natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes and typhoons.
Additionally, the Fund is interested in solutions that improve preparedness and response to humanitarian challenges using cutting-edge technology, such as AI and IoT; that respond to the needs of crisis-affected populations, including internally displaced persons and refugees, through access to humanitarian assistance, services and vital information; or existing innovations that can be adapted or replicated in a new context to respond to a humanitarian challenge.
While the GSMA Innovation Fund has typically supported not-for-profit and non-governmental organisations, this year's Fund is specifically focused on small and growing for-profit businesses, including start-ups. The specific focus on for-profit companies will help the GSMA support a new range of humanitarian innovations, leverage its unique expertise to enable public-private partnerships, and generate knowledge and evidence from these innovations to benefit crisis-affected communities. , the humanitarian sector, and digital and mobile industry stakeholders.
Organizations that are not eligible to apply for this year's Fund include nonprofit and non-governmental organizations, mobile network operators, universities and other academic institutions, and startup accelerators and incubators. However, applicants are encouraged to partner with these bodies when it will strengthen the value proposition of their application.
Applications now open
Applications for the GSMA Innovation Fund are now open and can be submitted here by completing a short online 'Pitch', which outlines how a project meets the funding criteria. All applications must be submitted in English no later than 23:59 GMT on Monday the 12th.th February 2024.
Higher priority will be given to applicants whose organizations are founded or led by women; whose projects have a strong presence in their country of implementation and a commitment to supporting/enhancing the skills of local staff; who have partnerships with relevant local stakeholders to deliver the project on the ground; and that they have a clear understanding of how their solutions improve preparedness or responsiveness to humanitarian challenges, and have taken proactive steps to set targets to measure the impact of their project.
The Fund is only open to applicants whose projects are implemented in countries eligible for official development assistance in Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Max Cuvellier Giacomelli, Head of Mobile Development at GSMA, said: “With more than 350 million people around the world in need of humanitarian assistance, there is an urgent need to support the financing and development of innovations that improve the preparedness and early warning capacity of affected communities. “Research has shown that the most effective solutions are often designed by those closest to the problem, and the GSMA Innovation Fund aims to support companies working on the ground to minimize the impact of any potential crisis.” .
Professor Charlotte Watts, Chief Scientific Adviser and Director of Research and Evidence at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said: “We look forward to supporting a new cohort of innovators who are committed to tackling difficult humanitarian challenges. Through our partnership with GSMA we have already supported a number of innovative solutions to development challenges. “I am confident that this latest round will produce innovative models and technologies that can build greater resilience and enable faster action in response to the many crises facing the world today.”
The GSMA Humanitarian Innovation Fund has provided funding and technical support to 29 innovative solutions and distributed more than £5 million since 2017. For more information on the GSMA Innovation Fund, see here.
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About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver critical innovation for positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members three broad pillars: connectivity for good, industry services and solutions, and outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, addressing today's biggest societal challenges, supporting the technology and interoperability that make mobile devices work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
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