JOINT INNOVATION FACILITY (JIF) PARTNERS A Platform for scaling Africa-Europe Innovation

Overview
The Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) is a new Africa-Europe initiative designed to accelerate innovation, foster meaningful collaboration across ecosystems on the African continent and cross-continental with Europe to scale up transformative solutions that address shared challenges particularly those related to the digital transformation and the green transition.
Launched under the Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB 2.0) – a forthcoming project under the EU’s Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment package - JIF is co-developed by
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the European Union (EU). It is jointly implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Finnish Public Management Institute (HAUS), leveraging their combined experience in international cooperation, innovation support and experience in strengthening innovation ecosystems Designed as a partnership approach, JIF brings together private sector, research institutions, public and civil society actors across borders. African and EU partners jointly co-create and scale solutions that address pressing regional challenges towards achieving the digital and green “twin transition” in climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience. The facility supports fast tracking innovation in high-potential sectors, including Blue Tech, Energy, Smart Mobility and Smart Cities.
What We’re Looking For
We are inviting joint project proposals from innovation consortia that:
Consist of at least two partners forming a consortium collaborating across borders (Africa-EU or Different countries from Sub-Saharan Africa*), led by an African entity;
Are eager to advance digitally enabled innovations (with a preference for frontier technologies (e.g. AI-based, IoT, etc) in climate - mitigation, adaptation and resilience;
Present tested solutions with proven or high potential for scaling and replication;
Are grounded in local context, commercially viable, and regionally embedded;
Are led by committed and capable teams, with a track record and technical skills required to scale the innovation;
Prioritize gender responsiveness;
Require strategic funding to accelerate their next phase of growth.
What We Offer
Selected projects will benefit from:
Non-dilutive funding of 100.000 - 250.000 EUR through a milestone-based grant structure.
Tailored support through the JIF Project Studio, including:
- Mentorship from seasoned experts and investors;
- Access to toolkits, investment readiness support, and technical advisory;
- Networking and peer learning opportunities across Africa and
Europe.
Strategic visibility, capacity strengthening, and alignment with the EU–Africa partnership goals and Agenda 2063.
How to Apply – A Two-Stage Process
The application to the Joint Innovation Facility is open from 17th July 2025 to 15th September 2025 via this application form and is structured in two stages,
Stage one will consist of the following:
Stage one:
1. a. Expression of Interest (EOI)
- Interested consortia projects are invited to submit an EOI outlining their project idea and demonstrating that they meet all eligibility criteria;
- Only applicants who fulfill the mandatory requirements will proceed to the next stage;
- If the applicant meets all the mandatory requirements and is selected through the evaluation process, they will proceed to the due diligence phase.
1. b. Due Diligence
A structured due diligence process will be carried out to assess operational, financial, governance, and compliance capacity aligned to selection criteria.
Stage two:
2. a. Grant Proposal Submission
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full grant proposal.
The proposal’s requirements will be aligned with the eligibility criteria shared in the call documentation to ensure consistency and transparency.
2. b. Final Selection and Award
The final selection will assess the project’s alignment with the objectives of the joint innovation facility, compliance with the selection criteria, and the extent to which feedback from the due
diligence process has been effectively incorporated.
JOINT INNOVATION FACILITY (JIF)
Eligibility & Selection Criteria
* The Africa partner must be from 14 Africa project priority countries which are Benin,
DRC, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South
Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
AFRICA - EUROPE
DIGITAL
INNOVATION
BRIDGE
JIF Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for funding through the Joint Innovation Facility (JIF), applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements, organized under seven core pillars. Applications
that do not fulfill the “must-have” requirements will not proceed to the evaluation stage.
1. Partnership (Must Have)
1.a. Paternership Structure
Applicants must form a consortium of at least two partners, with the lead partner being an African entity, in partnership with EU-registered entity or an African-registered entity.
Provide a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or Letter of Intent (LoI) between the consortium partners must be submitted, clearly outlining partnership roles and
collaboration intentions.
The proposal must demonstrate a clear partnership objective, such as:
- Co-developing a new or improved product, service, process, or entering a new market;
- Collaboration based on regional embeddedness, mutual value and local ownership;
-Applicants must commit to a minimum 20% co-financing contribution with the minimum cash contribution being 10%.
Higher commitment to cash contribution is encouraged.
1.b. Partner Details (Must Have)
The lead applicant must:
- Be legally registered entities with a minimum of 3 years of operation;
- Provide a registration certificate, business license, MoI (Memorandum of Incorporation), valid tax compliance certificate, and evidence of physical presence;
- Provide reviewed and/or audited financial statements for the past 2 years;
- Have an operational accounting system and provide access
screenshot thereof;
- Company organogram specifically for the finance and
procurement departments;
- Possess internal policies:
> Procurement Policy;
> Finance Policy;
> Human Resources Policy;
> Sexual Harassment Policy;
> Documented Internal and external Controls / Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);
Applicants must demonstrate the ability to manage donor funding, including:
- Prior experience with grants or donor-funded programs (preferred but not mandatory).
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) must be signed and submitted.
2. Climate Positive Impact (Must Have)
The proposed solution must demonstrate a measurable positive impact in at least one of the following areas:
- Climate mitigation;
- Climate adaptation and resilience.
Definitions and guidance will be available in the FAQs. Applicants should be prepared to submit detailed assessments and metrics during the grant proposal stage
3. Digital Enablement (Must Have) Applicants must describe how digital technology (Preference
will be given to applied AI solutions) is used to:
- Enable, enhance, or differentiate the proposed innovation;
- Drive scalability, efficiency, impact, or access within the business model.
4. Digital Innovation
The solution must represent a genuinely innovative approach to addressing climate and digital transformation challenges. The solution must clearly demonstrate that digital technology
is central to its innovation model; The solution must represent a genuinely innovative approach
to addressing climate and digital transformation challenges; 
Applicants must describe how digital technology is used to:
- Enable, enhance, or differentiate the proposed innovation;
- Drive scalability, efficiency, impact, or access within the business model;
- Demonstrate innovativeness through new or better products, services, or processes; new business models and disruptive market approaches.
Applicants should articulate how their innovation fills a gap or solves a pressing problem in a unique or significantly improved way. 
5. Business Model
The solution must:
- Demonstrate clear need and sufficient market to drive scale;
- The solution must be tested and show clear market potential;
- Provide a clear scaling strategy identifying pathways for growth;
- Demonstrate potential for a joint proof of concept (PoC) leveraging the consortium structure for growth;
- The business model should be commercially viable, able to sustain operations beyond the life of the JIF funding.
6. Team
The team must demonstrate:
- At least 30% women representation in leadership or founding roles;
- Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, including time commitments to the project.
Applicants will be asked to submit:
- Team profiles summarizing experience and capabilities;
- Gender-centered and women-led consortia are especially encouraged to apply.
7. Strategic Alignment
Align with JIF’s overarching objectives, including Africa–Europe innovation collaboration, sustainability, and inclusive growth.
- Strengthening Africa–Europe collaboration;
- Promoting inclusive innovation;
- Supporting digital transitions with application in climate.
Bonus points may be awarded for proposals that:
- Advance selected priority sectors: Blue Tech, (Smart) Mobility, Energy, Smart Cities;
- Advance application of frontier technologies (e.g. AI-based, IoT, etc);
- Propose AI-related solutions;
- Demonstrate strong gender responsiveness in their innovation towards their beneficiaries.
For more information, write to: jif@giz.de