The Development Innovation Fund (FID) is an innovative initiative to support innovations that help reduce poverty and inequalities in the world. Through grant funding following flexible modalities, the FID enables innovative and research teams to test new ideas, take strategic risks, demonstrate what works and deploy on a large scale the solutions that have the most positive impact. and the most efficient for reducing poverty and inequalities.
A new innovation fund for development (FID) has been set up by the French Development Agency (AFD) since December 2020. Open and flexible, FID finances any innovative solution that aims to fight against poverty and inequalities, has a potential for generalization that can promote development and proves to be more effective, rapid or cost-effective than existing approaches. The ambition of the FID is to support the emergence of innovative solutions to development problems, by relying on the rigor of scientific evaluation and experimentation.
PRIORITIZE SOLUTIONS THAT FIGHT POVERTY AND INEQUALITY
Any solution that, when scaled up, has the potential to drive development in a more efficient, rapid or cost-effective manner than existing approaches. This includes, for example, new approaches to improve access to essential goods and services, process or managerial innovations, improvements in public services that facilitate access and enhance results, as well as new technologies or new applications of existing technologies. But new “low-tech” approaches designed to be useful, sustainable and accessible and which can in fact have a huge impact on the lives of the poorest will also be eligible. Whatever the dimensions that characterize it, the FID prioritizes any innovation that addresses the challenges of poverty and inequalities, with particular attention paid to innovations targeting particularly acute problems for marginalized populations. More generally, the FID is open to innovations in education, health, climate change and gender equality.
IMPACT, EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY
The FID offers flexible funding through 5 levels of grants and assesses each application against three key criteria: rigorous proof of impact, cost-effectiveness of innovation, and potential for scalability and sustainability.
A BACKGROUND FOR ALL TYPES OF STRUCTURES
All types of structures, active in qualified low- and middle-income countries, can apply: research institutions, governments, NGOs, private companies, etc. The FID particularly encourages partnership approaches, in consortium.
SEVERAL LEVELS OF SUBSIDY
Funding is granted on flexible terms. Several subsidy levels are set up and take into account all stages of innovation implementation, from project preparation (up to € 50K), to the pilot phase (up to € 200K) , during implementation (up to € 1.5 million), until generalized scaling up (up to € 4 million).
RECEPTION OF PROPOSALS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
FID receives proposals throughout the year. Applications must be submitted via the FID online portal accessible at the following address: https://fundinnovation.dev/formulaire-de-candidature/
