Waste Recovery Innovation Challenge-Call for Concept Notes

February 8, 2019

UPDATE (26TH FEBRUARY 2019): REVIEW OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND EXTENSION OF DEADLINE TO 8TH MARCH 2019) 

Based on feedback received from several stakeholders, UNDP wishes to inform prospective applicants of the Waste Recovery Innovation Challenge about the following changes:

  • The eligibility criteria requiring private companies to be wholly owned by Ghanaians has been deleted (the criteria requiring the companies to be registered in Ghana is still valid).
  • The deadline for submission of the concept note has been extended from 1 March 2019 to 8 March 2019, 5pm GMT.

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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) wishes to announce a call for concept notes from the private sector for the 1st edition of its ‘Waste’ Recovery Innovation Challenge (WRIC). The Challenge aims to provide technical and financial support (max. $40,000 each) to business ideas that will promote and/or test innovative solutions for the recovery of waste materials and their transformation into other essential products/services.  The business should be innovative; have a good management structure; have the possibility of making profit in the short, medium and long term; create employment and other income generation opportunities especially for women and youth; and should lead to/contribute to bringing a lasting solution to a waste management challenge in a specific area/community or region.

As a first step in the competition process, we are requesting interested entrepreneurs to submit a Concept Note to competition.gh@undp.org by 1March 2019, 5pm GMT. All concept notes should be developed and submitted using the ‘WRIC CONCEPT NOTE APPLICATION FORM’ template. See further background information and guidelines in the ‘CALL FOR CONCEPT NOTE DOCUMENT.

This call for concept notes only applies to the private sector for business related projects. A separate call for proposal for projects related to research and advocacy/awareness creation will be launched separately.

The WRIC is under the Waste’ Recovery Platform, which aims to connect key stakeholders along the waste management value chain with data and technological solutions for waste recovery. This is expected to:

  • facilitate more cost-effective and transparent access to ready data for evidenced-based planning on waste and sanitation management;
  • enhance access to knowledge on best available technologies on waste recovery;
  • make it easier to find/link solution providers and off-takers;
  • stimulate research and innovation on waste recovery;
  • create an online market place for waste resource exchange; and
  • build capacity of key personnel (local government, private sector, NGOs and Academia) to enhance waste and sanitation management particularly at the decentralized level.

The Platform and its features are currently being co-designed by 5 multi-stakeholder technical working groups facilitated by UNDP.

For further information or if interested in joining this process, please contact joel.darkwah@undp.org  

Call Related Documents

Questions Received and Answers 

Question 1. Can I apply if I have an innovative business idea but do not yet have a registered business?

Answer: You are allowed to apply if you have a compelling and innovative idea with the caveat that the company will have to be registered before the final stage of the selection process is completed (Not later than June 2019)

Question 2. Can I apply if I already have an existing innovative business solution that needs support for scaling up or improvement?

Answer: Yes.

Question 3. Is the Challenge also open to persons or companies from other countries aside Ghana?

Answer: This is targeting companies registered in Ghana, but the organization or business idea can have foreign partners.