Home

The 2023 Fintech Innovation Challenge is inviting applications from fintechs pioneering innovative financial solutions that break the persistent challenges in serving the low-income women’s market.

Women’s World Banking’s Fintech Innovation Challenge identifies and elevates 4 later-stage fintechs pioneering innovative financial solutions that break the persistent challenges in serving the low-income women’s market.

Fintechs who fit the following criteria to apply:

• Leveraging Technology for Women - You are a fintech leveraging technology to provide financial solutions for underserved, low-income women.
• Serving Emerging Market - Your focus is on serving customers in emerging markets.
• Preparing for Series A or Later - Your fintech is preparing for Series A or later and can demonstrate a minimum viable product and a path to profitability.

Prizes 

The four finalists and grand prize winner will be awarded mentorships, personalized UX design and investor consultations, membership to exclusive networks and priority access to fintech events attended by investors and partners around the world.

Click here to apply. 

Green Buildings Finance Programme provides up to 100% property finance ranging from R500 000 to R50 million to established entrepreneurs with a viable business who want to invest in green buildings and achieve green building certification. We finance the purchase, construction, and/or retrofit of buildings if their designs are certified under an eligible green building certification.

Click here to apply. 

Innovate UK KTN as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund AgriFood Africa Programme (GCRF) calls for collaborative UK/Africa projects that address African AgriFood challenges to apply for the GCRFGCRF AgriFood Africa Innovation Awards Round 3 . Successful applicants will receive a grant of either £20,000 or £30,000 to support their collaborative UK/Africa AgriFood research and innovation project.

Projects should address the AgriFood challenges of an African organisation through a defined research/innovation project between one UK and one African organisation.

Join the Innovate UK KTN LinkedIn group to make connections with potential partners.

Click here to download to the guidelines.

Click here to download the case support template.

Click here to to submit your case for support.

Click here to register your application.

Innovate Now is calling for innovation-driven startups, with proof-of-concept, who are improving access to Assistive Technology (AT) through digital means, or offering digital AT solutions across education, healthcare and livelihoods.

Innovate Now has helped to launch 21 African assistive tech ventures over four acceleration cycles. African start-ups receive mentorship, learning and expert guidance over a 3-6 month period to create market fit, scalable and investable AT.

Click here to apply. 

A 6-week hybrid program designed to support creatives & creators to solve prevailing problems in building sustainable and scalable businesses. The program seeks to identify, train and support creatives whose activities power the digital economy, and especially address gaps in areas of business skills and structures for growth and scalability. 

Benefits

Access to: 

• Business Structure Setup 
• One-On-One Business Advisory 
• Community & More Opportunity

Click here to apply. 

TIA is calling for the submission of funding applications for developing innovative energy technologies within the Hydrogen Economy. The technological innovations may include fuel cells for mobile and stationary applications, production of green hydrogen, as well as infrastructure for storage, distribution and dispensing hydrogen.

Application are invited from the following South African institutions for consideration; 

• Start-up companies
• Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs)
• Private Individuals
• Science Councils (SCs)
• Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
• Any other recognized legal entities in South Africa

Click here to register and apply.

Reckitt and Yunus Social Business are calling for social enterprises in South Africa to respond with their innovative approaches to creating greater access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). 

The Accelerator will provides: 

• Bootcamps:  Impact accelerating bootcamps, delivered by expert partners, tailored to unlock specific barriers to growth
• Mentorship:  Expert mentorship from Reckitt's people, specialists in health and hygiene and a wide range of business functions
• Funding:  Seed funding to invest in growth to scale the business and drive positive health outcomes

Click here to apply. 

Applications are now open for the SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme. 

The SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme supports entrepreneurs to become successful and resilient business owners through extensive entrepreneurial skills development, mentorship and access to markets, finance and practical business tools and templates. Through connections to peers around the country, we build a powerful network of opportunities for participants long after the programme has ended. The programme prioritises entrepreneurial ventures that are owned and managed by historically disadvantaged groups (i.e. black people, women, youth, people living with disabilities and those living in rural areas) so as to help redress socio-economic challenges faced by these marginalised groups.

Click here to register and apply.

Future Females Business School in partnership with UK-SA South Africa Tech Hub is inviting female entrepreneurs with a GreenTech idea or early-stage business, ready to upskill and utilise technology to bring their businesses to life, to submit applications for the Future Females Business School GreenTech Programme. 

This is a three-month programme in which entrepreneurs will have access to actionable content, weekly coaching sessions with a sustainability coach and guest feature masterclasses with industry experts; to increase the capacity of their enterprises to scale and become more sustainable.

Click here to apply.

Technology and Human Resource for Industry Programme (THRIP) is a cost-sharing grant of up to R8 million per annum for a period of 3 years for approved projects engaged in applied research and development (R&D) in science, engineering and technology.

Click here to submit an application. 

Click here to submit a claim.

The Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) scheme develops export markets for South African products and services and recruits new foreign direct investment into the country.

Click here to submit an application. 

Click here to submit a claim. 

The programme support for the Clothing Textile Footwear Leather (CTFL) sectors through five policy levers of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic):

• Clothing Textile Footwear Leather Growth Programme (CTFLGP) to boost customised financing and value chain competitiveness;
• Designation of Clothing Textile Footwear Leather under Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act Regulation for 100% local contents;
• Retail – Clothing Textile Footwear Leather (R-CTFL) Masterplan 2030;
• Developing and implementing policies for improved growth, competitiveness, new decent jobs and sustainability of the Clothing Textile Footwear Leather industries; and
• Enabling innovation and technology demonstration, value chain strategies as well as the development of relevant skills for the sectors through the various clusters.

Youth Technology Innovation Programme (YTIP) exists to drive and increase the participation of young people in the economy by providing funding for the development of techno-enterprises. The Programme is targeted at funding and supporting youth, between the ages of 18-30, who have innovative ideas that have the potential to establish new businesses.

Purpose of the Programme 

• Fund development of innovative ideas to solve various social and technological problems
• Create and enable access to infrastructure and services, mentoring and incubation, to support development and commercialisation of youth-led technology-enterprises
• Accelerate the commercialisation and uptake of youth-led technology-enterprises

Click here to register and apply. 

The Critical Infrastructure Programme (CIP) aims to leverage investment by supporting infrastructure that is deemed to be critical, thus lowering the cost of doing business. The CIP is a cost-sharing incentive that is available to the approved applicant/s or infrastructure project/s upon the completion of verifiable milestones or as may be approved by the Adjudication Committee.  Infrastructure is deemed “critical” to the investment if such investment would not take place without the said infrastructure or the said investment would not operate optimally.

Click here to submit an application.

Click here to submit a claim.

The Automotive Investment Scheme (AIS) is an incentive designed to grow and develop the automotive sector through investment in new and/ or replacement models and components that will increase plant production volumes, sustain employment and/ or strengthen the automotive value chain.

The AIS provides for a non-taxable cash grant of twenty percent (20%) of the value of qualifying investment in productive assets and twenty five percent (25%) of the value of qualifying investment in productive assets by component manufactures and tooling companies as approved by the dtic.

Click here to submit an application. 

Click here to submit a claim.

The Capital Projects Feasibility Programme (CPFP) is a cost-sharing grant that contributes to the cost of feasibility studies likely to lead to projects that will increase local exports and stimulate the market for South African capital goods and services. 

The grant is capped at R8 million to a maximum of 50% of the total costs of the feasibility study for projects outside Africa and 55% of the total costs of the feasibility study for projects in Africa.

Click here to submit an application form. 

Click here to submit a claim. 

The Agro-Processing Support Scheme (APSS) aims to stimulate investment by the South African agro-processing / beneficiation (agri-business) enterprises. The investment should demonstrate that it will achieve some of the following: Increased capacity, employment creation, modernised machinery and equipment, competitiveness and productivity improvement and broadening participation.

Click here to submit an application.

Click here to submit a claim.  

The Aquaculture Development and Enhancement Programme (ADEP) is an incentive programme available to South African registered entities engaged in primary, secondary and ancillary aquaculture activities in both marine and freshwater classified under SIC 132 (fish hatcheries and fish farms) and SIC 301 and 3012 (production, processing and preserving of aquaculture fish). The grant is provided directly to approved applications for new, upgrading or expansion projects.

The programme offers a reimbursable cost-sharing grant of up to a maximum of R20 million qualifying costs in machinery and equipment; bulk infrastructure; owned land and/or buildings; leasehold improvements; and competitiveness improvement activities as outlined in section 8 of the ADEP guidelines.

Click here to submit the application form. 

Click here to submit a claim.

The Technology Development Fund supports the development of technologies from proof concept leading to product prototype and ultimately demonstration thereof in an operating environment.

Click here to register and apply. 

The main purpose of the Fund is to enable innovators to evaluate, demonstrate and advance the value proposition and commercial potential of their research outputs. The Fund therefore contributes towards de-risking research outputs in order to increase the pipeline for Technology Innovation Agency and other funders. The fund assists High Education Institutions and Small Micro Medium Enterprises in bridging financing requirements to translate research outputs into fundable ideas for commercialisation.

Application

A close call issued by Offices of Technology Transfer (OTT) or Regional Development Agencies (RDA). 

The Pre-Commercialisation Support Fund assists existing or potential individual entrepreneurs and Small Micro Medium Enterprises to obtain funding to support pre-commercialisation activities including the development of production/service capacity to levels that will support operational sustainability. This further include, market testing and validation of the technology in the potential customer environment, as well as bridging finance in preparation for commercialisation.

Click here to register and submit application. 

The Township and Rural Empowerment Programmes (TREP) supports informal, micro and small enterprises and cooperatives in the rural and township economies. TREP provides blended finance and business development support to various sectors with a view of promoting their participation in the mainstream economy.

The Scheme is aimed at supporting small enterprises to:

• participate in the rebuilding and restructuring of the economy in townships and rural areas;

• necessitated by the emergence of the new world order;

• improve the quality and competitiveness of small enterprises for both domestic supply and export market; and

• seize opportunities in various sectors availed by the Covid-19 pandemic through the value chains and beyond.

Click here to submit application.

The Township Economy Partnership Fund (TEPF) is a partnership between the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED), the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The fund supports SMMEs in the township economy of Gauteng in sectors that include (but not limited to) Manufacturing, The Taxi Economy, ICT, Backyard Real Estate upgrading and retail.

The TEP is a fund aimed at supporting vulnerable township small businesses that are unable to access funding from private funding institutions, government, and other business support programmes.

Click here to apply 

This is a pilot call aiming to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, through the implementation of results from ongoing or recently finalised research and innovation projects to advance the knowledge-based achievement of the SDGs, from local to regional scale. Projects will be funded through international consortia where researchers together with implementation partners and stakeholders collectively and collaboratively aim to improve research outcomes for impact. The research and outcomes of the projects funded should lead to impact on society and improve the livelihoods of people on the ground.

Available budget: €300,000 (approximately 5.1 million Rand)

Click here to submit concept note. 

ClimateLaunchPad (CLP) is a global green business ideas competition that supports promising cleantech entrepreneurs by providing them with training, coaching, and networking opportunities.

It welcomes innovation and solutions that tackle the challenges of climate change.

Grindstone is looking for high-growth innovative scale-ups to join their accelerator programme. 
 

Click here to submit application. 

The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and its implementing partner, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), would like to request Expressions of Interest (EoI’s) from SMMEs, black industrialists, municipalities, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Research Institutes focusing on technologies/solutions that will lead to accelerated implementation of biorefinery technologies, to grow and expand biomanufacturing capacity. EoI’s will be accepted from SMMEs, black industrialists, municipalities, HEIs and Research Institutes with demonstrated expertise in biorefinery (e.g., publications, graduated post-graduate students etc.). This initiative is aligned with the National Bio-economy Strategy of the DSI which aims to drive economic growth and socio-economic development in South Africa.

Click here to download the call document.  

Click here to submit your proposal.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Biomanufacturing Industry Development Centre (BIDC) invite Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) to submit Expression of Interest (EoI). 

EoI call targets SMMEs entering the biomanufacturing sector to grow and expand biomanufacturing capacity to meet market demands.

Click here to download the information document and application form. 

Click here to submit the proposal