📋 Tender Overview
Despite Tanzania's recognition of job creation, research and innovation as national priorities, skills and funding remain limited due to competing demands for public resources and infrastructure challenges. This contribution aims to provide catalytic financial resources to strengthen the Ifakara Innovation Hub (IIH), a nascent rural collaborative space to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and community-driven solutions.
Country/region Topic Period Budget
Tanzania
Employment & economic development
nothemedefined
Business support & economic inclusion
Employment creation
SME development
01.04.2025 - 31.12.2028
CHF 650’000
The project in brief
Background Tanzania's development vision and policies highlight innovation as a critical factor to address ongoing health, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges. However, challenges remain, including limited funding, infrastructure gaps, and the need for more specialized training. This calls for collaborative initiatives and core support to help foster a more self-sufficient approach to health, science, and technology. The IIH, supported by Switzerland and Fondation Botnar since 2019, is the first of its kind to be situated in rural Tanzania, bringing together scientists, prototype developers, start-up entrepreneurs and end users to develop innovative indigenous solutions to address local health and livelihood challenges. The requested core support will sustain IIH in its journey as an independent entity to execute its Strategic Plan 2023-2028 prioritizing institutional development, resource mobilization, support to innovators, and evidence for policy change.
Objectives To contribute to national development goals by strengthening the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Target groups
Local and international innovators, researchers, and end-users
Research and academic institutions public and private, local and international
Policy makers such as ministries of health, education, and finance
Regulatory authorities such as the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) and Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)
Private companies and makerspaces
Investors
Medium-term outcomes
Community: Young rural innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers are supported to transform creative health and livelihoods ideas into market impactmaking products and services
Institution: Internal systems, institutional development capacity and sustainability of IIH are strengthened
Ecosystem: The innovation ecosystem in Tanzania is supported to flourish through policy influence and knowledge sharing
Results Expected results:
Internal institutional functions are strengthened for efficient operations
At least 20 innovations incubated, 6 commercialised
500+ jobs created through 30+ emergent enterprises
At least USD 2million raised in institutional funding to sustainably support strategic activities
At least 1 major national policy influenced by IIH
