Opportunities
Grants, VC funds, accelerators, and competitions for African entrepreneurs.
Grants, VC funds, accelerators, and competitions for African entrepreneurs.
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$20,000 - $40,000 (with minimum 20% co-funding from applicant)
The Czech Challenge Fund is a grant programme under the Czech-UNDP Partnership for Sustainable Development Goals. It funds the transfer of innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions from Czech entities to developing countries, including Ethiopia and Zambia in Africa. Grants of $20,000-$40,000 support 12-month projects that address SDG-aligned development challenges through knowledge transfer and innovation.
Project Grant
USD $20,000-$40,000 to implement a 12-month innovation transfer project.
UNDP Network Access
Access to UNDP's global development network and country-level support infrastructure.
Czech Development Ecosystem
Connection to broader Czech development cooperation resources and potential follow-on support.
Innovation Transfer
Transfer of proven Czech innovations and know-how to address development challenges in partner countries.
SDG Alignment
Projects must directly contribute to one or more Sustainable Development Goals in the target country.
Sustainability & Scalability
Solutions must demonstrate potential for long-term sustainability and scalability beyond the project period.
Czech entities with proven innovations that can be transferred to solve development challenges in Ethiopia or Zambia. Strong emphasis on genuine local partnerships, SDG alignment, and sustainability beyond the project period. Projects should involve knowledge transfer, not just equipment delivery.
UNDP country office support during implementation. Monitoring and evaluation framework. Potential for scaling through UNDP's broader programme portfolio.
Applicant must be a Czech entity — African organisations cannot apply directly; Requires 20% co-funding commitment; 2025/2026 cycle is closed; next call expected late 2026; Small grant size ($20K-$40K) may not suit capital-intensive projects
The fund strongly favours projects with genuine Czech-local partnerships (not token partnerships). Past successful projects have involved practical technology transfer in agriculture and water sectors. Czech universities and research centres have been frequent winners. Contact UNDP country offices in Ethiopia or Zambia to identify potential local partners before applying. Email cup.applications@undp.org for pre-application guidance.
2016
Active Since
Yes
Deploying