Call for grant funding applications - 83429927

Local subsidy/grant funding for SMEs in the biotrade sector to support innovation and growth in coherence with other incentive schemes

The project “ABS Compliant Biotrade in South(ern) Africa” (ABioSA) is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the ABS Capacity Development Initiative (www.abs-initiative.info) under the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammen­arbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, to provide technical and financial support to sector-wide initiative in the biotrade sector.

ABioSA phase II aims to support the development of a resilient economic, gender responsive, Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) compliant southern African biotrade sector through a systemic competitiveness approach with all the relevant biotrade stakeholders/actors (micro, meso and macro level) to increase the market access for value-added natural ingredients and products where communities are included. ABioSA would like to assist export ready SMEs to become more competitive by supporting them to access partial funding to overcome regulatory hurdles for exporting products, become investment ready, and access existing and/or new local and international markets. The project supports transformation and key government targets including job creation, empowerment of women and youth, and rural development within the Southern African region.

ABioSA is inviting export ready SMEs in Southern Africa (70% South Africa, 30% other Southern African countries) who already have a product/ingredient, with already existing capacities and skills but have difficulty to access and/or grow their market or are having difficulty to grow their enterprises as they struggle to comply with national and international regulatory requirements and to improve the quality of their products/ingredients. This round of calls is NOT open to business support organisations (BSOs) such as associations, councils, incubators and laboratories or government implementing agencies servicing ABS compliant SMEs.

Completed forms must be submitted to ZA_Quotation@giz.de by 03 March 2023.

Please quote reference 83429927 in the subject line when submitting the documentation.

Late submissions will not be accepted.

Applications forms including the requirements are available for downloading below.