Business Sector

The 2030 Agenda, which focuses the commitment of the international community on the 17  Sustainable Development Goals, places the accent on private entrepreneurial activity, considering international trade the “engine for inclusive economic growth.” The private sector, with its composite variability, is urged to employ “creativity and innovation to finding solutions to the challenges of sustainable […]

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The 2030 Agenda, which focuses the commitment of the international community on the 17  Sustainable Development Goals, places the accent on private entrepreneurial activity, considering international trade the “engine for inclusive economic growth.” The private sector, with its composite variability, is urged to employ “creativity and innovation to finding solutions to the challenges of sustainable development”. It is believed essential to develop a sustainable business model in terms of production and consumption – as indicated in Goal 12 – which takes account of the social and environmental impacts on the local communities and which is based on the effectiveness of the principles of international cooperation, particularly with regard to the ownership by the partner countries of the dynamics of development and partnership implemented with the private sector.

In Italy, the ability to involve private companies of various kinds – limited liability enterprises, joint stock companies, corporations, benefit companies, etc. – in activities of cooperation, was formally introduced by law no. 125/2014 – General rules on international development cooperation. In particular, art. 23 of law no. 125 contemplates the participation of “for-profit companies” in the Italian system of cooperation, and allows public support of initiatives of the private sector when they are coherent with the programming, in respect of the ultimate ends of cooperation, including the battle against poverty, the reduction of inequality and the advancement of human rights. The involvement of the private for-profit sector is the most recent addition to the strategy of reinforcement of the Italian system of development cooperation, allowing the public sector to work with the institution, non-profit organizations (foundations, ethical finance, diaspora associations, etc.) and with those of the private profit sector.

Call for Entrepreneurial Tenders

In November 2016, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation began to explore the possibility of involvement of the private profit sector in activities of international cooperation, producing a first mapping of entrepreneurial interest in the subject. The resulting study, which examined six regions and fifteen industrial sectors of interest, gathered a number of elements and indications from entrepreneurs, experts in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and in Sustainability in Business, Marketing and Human Resources.

Starting in April 2017,  AICS prepared the first call for tenders of development cooperation accessible to private for-profit entities, with the intention of opening a new route for collaboration between public institutions, enterprises and beneficiaries.

The possibility of operating in low-income communities through the involvement of private enterprises is an opportunity for renewal of the practices of development cooperation that, through comparison with operations and approaches of an entrepreneurial type, can enhance different but complementary logics, all working toward the same goal of human empowerment, in multiple dimensions.

The first call for tenders open to for-profit companies, entitled “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives for financing/co-financing grants to be made available to participating countries for the pursuit of the Goals of Sustainable Development”, was announced by AICS in July 2017 and was characterized by three fundamental aspects:

  • differentiation of the funds based on the maturity of the candidate company (start-up, consolidated business, scale-up);
  • valorization of inclusive and innovative initiatives, with impacts on processes and products;
  • localization of initiatives in areas of interest for Italian cooperation.

The first edition of the tender call received 25 proposals for financing, of which 13 were approved and public funds granted for cooperation.

August 5, 2021  – A new Director’s resolution was published, stating the new conditions in place following approval of the classification for the three lots contemplated by the call announced in 2019.

Director’s Resolution no.  25/2021

February 26, 2021  – The Director’s Resolution relative to approval of the classifications for the three lots contemplated by the call announced in 2019 for innovative ideas and entrepreneurial initiatives for development: lot 1 – New ideas “A”; lot 2 – New ideas “B”; lot 3 – “Mature ideas”.
Director’s Resolution no.  4/2021

February 2, 2021  – Following the public meeting of February 2, 2021 the “List of enterprises shortlisted for evaluation of the economic offer” was announced.

January 25, 2021  – Announcement of the public meeting referred to in paragraph VI.4 OPENING OF ENVELOPE 3 “ECONOMIC PROPOSAL” of the 2019 call for tenders from for-profit companies, scheduled for February 2, 2021, starting at 10:00 a.m.. Since the Agency lacked sufficient space to ensure respect of at least one meter between the potential attendees, the public meeting would be held via MICROSOFT TEAMS or other platforms, depending on the number of requests that Office VII receives.
Only one representative per applicant could attend.
The parties interested in participating in the public meeting of opening of the applications were therefore invited to send the following data no later than JANUARY 29, 2021, via e-mail to: ufficio7.aics@aics.gov.it 
–  Name of applicant (company);
–  First and last name of legal representative of the applicant, or that of a proxy (in the latter case, sending the proxy statement with a copy of the identity document) to be linked to the public meeting on the date indicated above;
– E-mail and mobile phone number of the representative and/or proxy participating in the meeting, to permit correct planning of the meeting;
–  Copy of an identity document of the representative (or proxy) of the company to be linked to the meeting.

Publication of this communication on the Agency website was followed by a communication via certified e-mail to the interested applicants.


October 8, 2020  – Decree no. 212/2020 –
Appointment of members of the adjudicating committee and secretariat

October 5, 2020, – Announcement of the public meeting referred to in paragraph VI.3 OPENING OF APPLICATION PACKETS AND ENVELOPE 2 “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL” of the 2019 call for tenders from for-profit companies, scheduled for October 15, 2020, starting at 9:30 a.m.. Since the Agency lacked sufficient space to ensure respect of at least one meter between the potential attendees, the public meeting would be held via Skype.
Skype contact: aics.uff7@hotmail.com. Depending on the number of participants, Microsoft Teams might be used instead.
Only one representative per applicant could attend.
Parties interested in participating in the public meeting of opening of the applications were invited to send the following data no later than Monday, October 12, 2020, via e-mail to: ufficio7.aics@aics.gov.it
–  Name of applicant (company);
–  First and last name of legal representative of the applicant, or that of a proxy (in the latter case, sending the proxy statement with a copy of the identity document) to be linked to the public meeting on the date indicated above;
– Skype contact, e-mail and mobile phone number of the representative to enable the help desk of the Agency to perform preliminary functional testing of the system;
–  Copy of an identity document of the representative (or proxy) of the company to be linked to the meeting. 

October 1, 2020 – the Director of the AICS published  Determination no. 208/2020 containing the list of applicants admitted or excluded from continuing the procedure to the stage of evaluation of the technical offers.

June 6, 2020  – the public meeting referred to in paragraph VI.2 OPENING OF APPLICATION PACKETS AND ENVELOPE 1 “ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTATION ” of the 2019 call for tenders from for-profit companies was announced for July 2 and 3, 2020, starting at 10:30 a.m.. Since the Agency lacked sufficient space to ensure respect of at least one meter between the potential attendees, as required for public offices by the DPCM of March 4, 2020,  the public meeting would be held via Skype.
Skype contact: aics.uff7@hotmail.com

Only one representative per applicant could attend.

Parties interested in participating in the public meeting of opening of the applications were invited to send the following data no later than June 29, 2020, via e-mail to: ufficio7.aics@aics.gov.it

–  Name of applicant (company);
–  First and last name of legal representative of the applicant, or that of a proxy (in the latter case, sending the proxy statement with a copy of the identity document) to be linked to the public meeting on the date indicated above;
– Skype contact, e-mail and mobile phone number of the representative to enable the help desk of the Agency to perform preliminary functional testing of the system;
–  Copy of an identity document of the representative (or proxy) of the company to be linked to the meeting.

June 23, 2020 – The Director of the AICS published  Decree no. 129/2020  indicating the site of the bidding and of the commission in charge of procedures of administrative verification.

May 11, 2020   – the term for presentation of the proposals for the call for tenders to for-provide companies and innovative ideas was postponed

April 3, 2020 – In view of the persistence of the COVID-19 emergency and consequent restrictions to the activities and free circulation in our country and in most of the partner countries, the term of April 20, 2020, for presentation of the proposals was extended again to  May 22, 2020, at 1:00 p.m.. Notice of the extension appeared only on this website, as contemplated by the Communication in GURI no. 57/2020.

February 12, 2020  – In advance with respect to the term envisaged in the Notice, it was possible to publish  the answers to the Frequently Asked Questions received by the Agency.

November 28, 2019  – Two days after publication in the supplement of the Official EU Gazette of  2019/S 228-559770, the announcement appeared on the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) database of the “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to co-financing and to be carried out in the partner countries of cooperation for the pursuit of the SDG”.

The initiative of 5 million euro was approved by the Joint Committee with Resolution no. 100 at the meeting of November 19, 2019.

For admission to the procedure, the proposals had to be submitted,  exclusively in hard-copy format, by AICS at via Salvatore Contarini 25, 00135 Rome, no later than March 16, 2020, at 1:00 p.m..

The application packet would have to bear the indication “Open  procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives pursuant to art. 27 of law no. 125/2014” and also indicate, on pain of exclusion, the  lot for which the candidate was applying, among the following:

  • Lot no. 1, New ideas “A”– reserved exclusively for entrepreneurial initiatives not yet carried out and/or implemented in the partner countries of the cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I);
  • Lot no. 2, New ideas “B”– reserved exclusively for entrepreneurial initiatives not yet carried out and/or implemented in the partner countries of the cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I) and to applicants incorporated in the 24 months prior to publication of this Tender Call (so-called entrepreneurial start-ups);
  • Lot no. 3, Mature ideas– reserved for entrepreneurial initiatives already tested in one or more partner countries of cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I), for which further developments are planned both in the countries of origin and in other partner countries of cooperation (so-called “scaling-up” projects.

Any  requests for clarification, different from those already illustrated for the two previous tender calls (see  (FAQ 1 2017 |  FAQ 2 2017,  FAQ 2018) exclusively of general interest, should be sent to the e-mail address: faq.bandi@aics.gov.it by January 31, 2020, in Italian.

Tender call to for-profit companies 2019 | Documentation attached to announcement |

  •  AttachmentC- DGUEto the 2019 Tender Call to for-profit companies which, by mistake, was not included in the folder of “Documentation attached to the Call”

Tender call published in the  Official Gazette General Series no. 285 on Dec. 5, 2019

Published in the  OFFICIAL GAZETTE (General Series no. 57 of March 6, 2020): the new expiration date for presentation of applications

Documentation

January 20, 2020 – Answers to questions relative to applications for management of the initiatives adjudicated in the Tender Calls of 2017 and 2018: FAQ

November 18, 2019 –  a new resolution of the Director was published, stating the new conditions in place following approval of the classification for the three lots contemplated by the tender call announced in 2018.
• Director’s Resolution no.  77/2019

July 29, 2019  – publication of the Director’s Resolution relative to approval of the classifications for the three lots contemplated by the 2018 tender for innovative ideas and entrepreneurial initiatives for development: lot 1 – New ideas “A”; lot 2 – New ideas “B”; lot 3 – “Mature ideas”.
• Director’s Resolution no.  60/2019

July 3, 2019  – Following the public meeting of Monday, July 1, 2019 the “List of enterprises shortlisted for evaluation of the economic offer” was announced.

June 12, 2019 – The first public meeting of the Commission was convened for Monday, July 1, at 2:00 p.m. At the meeting, the applicants admitted to continue the procedure would have their Envelope 3 “Economic Proposal” opened. To attend the meeting, applicants were invited to send a certified e-mail to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before, attaching the copy of an identity document.

March 4, 2019 – Publication of Determination no. 82/2019 by the Deputy Director of AICS for completion of Determination no. 8/2019.

March 13, 2019– the Director of the AICS published  Determination no. 81/2019 containing the list of applicants admitted or excluded from continuing the procedure to the stage of evaluation of the technical offers.

March 12, 2019 – Notice was issued that on Wednesday March 20, at 10:00 a.m., works would continue in a public meeting for opening of Envelope 2 “Technical Proposal” for the applicants admitted to continue the procedure. To attend the meeting, applicants were invited to send a certified e-mail to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before.

January 28, 2019 – On conclusion of the public meetings for activities of verification of the proposals received, 40 companies had participated in the second call for innovative development ideas launched by AICS last November 21. The companies that sent their proposals by 1:00 p.m. On January 14, 2019, responding within the terms of the “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to financing or co financing and to be carried out in partners companies for cooperation in pursuit of the SDG”. The initiatives received were divided as follows: 21 for lot no. 1 – “New ideas A”; 12 for lot no. 2 – “New ideas B” (start-ups); 7 for lot no. 3 – “Mature ideas”.

January 23, 2019 – Announcement that on January 28, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., works would continue in the office of the tender in public session to open the application packets starting from no. 26. To attend the meeting, applicants should send a certified e- to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before.

January 17, 2019  – Determination no. 8 2019 – Appointment of members of the adjudicating committee and Office of the Tender Call

December 20, 2018 – A link was published listing the requests for clarification received at the e-mail address  faq.bandi@aics.gov.it by Dec. 10, 2018: List of request of clarification of 2018 Tender Call

November 23, 2018 – Announcement of the “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives for financing/co-financing grants to be implemented in participating countries for the pursuit of the Goals of Sustainable Development”, published in the Official Gazette, General Series, no. 273 on Nov. 23, 2018.

November 21, 2018  – Publication in the Official EU Gazette of  2018/S 224-512905 of the “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to co-financing and to be carried out in the partner countries of cooperation for the pursuit of the SDG”.

For admission to the procedure, proposals had to be submitted,  exclusively in hard-copy format, to AICS at via Salvatore Contarini 25, 00135 Rome, no later than  Monday, January 14, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.

The application packet would have to bear the indication “Open  procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives pursuant to art. 27 of law no. 125/2014” and also indicate, on pain of exclusion, the  lot for which the candidate was applying, among the following:

  • Lot no. 1, New ideas “A”– reserved exclusively for entrepreneurial initiatives not yet carried out and/or implemented in the partner countries of the cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I);
  • Lot no. 2, New ideas “B”– reserved exclusively for entrepreneurial initiatives not yet carried out and/or implemented in the partner countries of the cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I) and to candidates incorporated in the 24 months prior to publication of this Tender Call (so-called entrepreneurial start-ups);
  • Lot no. 3, Mature ideas– reserved for entrepreneurial initiatives already tested in one or more partner countries of cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I), for which further developments are planned both in the countries of origin and in other partner countries of cooperation (so-called “scaling-up” projects.

Any requests for clarification , exclusively of general interest, could be sent to the email address faq.bandi@aics.gov.it by Dec. 10, 2018, in Italian.

Documentation

January 20, 2020 – Answers to questions relative to applications for management of the initiatives adjudicated in the Calls for Tender of 2017 and 2018: FAQ

May 4, 2018  – publication of the Director’s Resolution relative to approval of the classifications for the three lots contemplated by the 2017 tender for innovative ideas and entrepreneurial initiatives for development: lot 1 – New ideas “A”; lot 2 – New ideas “B”; lot 3 – “Mature ideas”.
• Director’s Resolution no.  34/2018

March 13, 2018  – Following the meeting of March 9, 2018 the List of enterprises shortlisted for evaluation of the economic offer was announced.
• Listed of operators admitted to evaluation of the economic offer

February 28, 2018 – The next public meeting of the Commission was convened for Friday, March 9, at 2:30 p.m. At the meeting, Envelope 3 “Economic proposal” of the applicants admitted to continue the procedure would be opened. To attend the meeting, applicants were invited to send a certified e-mail to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before, attaching a copy of an identity document.

January 13, 2018 – Following the public meeting of Jan. 12, 2018, publication is made of the lists of companies that presented proposals for entrepreneurial initiatives within the term indicated and those admitted to the next stage of the selection.
• Lists of applicant companies and of those admitted to continue the procedure

May 5, 2018 – Notice was issued that on Friday, Jan. 12, at 10:30 a.m., works would continue in a public meeting for opening of Envelope 2 “Technical Proposal” for the applicants admitted to continue the procedure. To attend the meeting, applicants were invited to send a certified e-mail to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before.

November 11, 2017 – Notice was issued that on Nov. 14, at 1:30 p.m., works would continue at the tender call office in a public meeting. To attend the meeting, applicants were invited to send a certified e- to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before.

November 6, 2017 – Notice was issued that on Nov. 9, at 10:00 a.m., works would continue at the office for Call for Tender in a public meeting. To attend the meeting, applicants were invited to send a certified e- to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before.

March 3, 2017 – Director’s Decree no. 263/2017 – Appointment of members of the adjudicating committee and tender call office

November 2, 2017 – The office of the tender call will meet to open the applications on Monday Nov. 6, at 2:30 p.m. at the AICS headquarters. To attend the meeting, applicants should send a certified e- to bando.rel@pec.aics.gov.it by the day before.

October 28, 2017 – The public hearing scheduled for October 30, 2017 at 12 o’clock was postponed for organizational reasons. The new date would be announced on this website.

October 27, 2017 – 25 companies decided to participate in the first tender call for innovative ideas launched by AICS on July 21. The companies that sent their proposals by 1:00 p.m. On Thursday, October 26, 2017, responding within the terms of the “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to financing or co financing and to be carried out in partners companies for cooperation in pursuit of the SDG”. The initiatives received were divided as follows: 9 for lot no. 1 – “New ideas A”; 4 for lot no. 2 – “New ideas B” (start-ups); 12 for lot no. 3 – “Mature ideas”.

October 9, 2017 – Publication of the answers to the requests for clarification in two documents: the first refers to the queries received by July 31, 2017, the second to those received by September 11, 2017.
• FAQ 1  |  FAQ 2

July 21, 2017  – Publication in the Official Gazette of the European Union of the “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to financing/co-financing and to be carried out in the partner countries of cooperation for the pursuit of the SDG.”

For admission to the procedure, the proposals had to be submitted,  exclusively in hard-copy format, by AICS at via Salvatore Contarini No. 25, 00135 Rome, no later than October 26, 2017, at 1:00 p.m..

The application packet must contain a brief indication of the name of the procedure concerned: “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives (pursuant to art. 27 of Law no. 125/2014)”. It must also indicate, on pain of exclusion, the lot of interest.

  • Lot no. 1, New ideas “A”– reserved exclusively for entrepreneurial initiatives not yet carried out and/or implemented in the partner countries of the cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I) and to candidates incorporated more than 12 months prior to the date of publication of this Tender Call;
  • Lot no. 2, New ideas “B”– reserved exclusively for entrepreneurial initiatives not yet carried out and/or implemented in the partner countries of the cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I) and to candidates incorporated within the 12 months prior to publication of this Tender Call (so-called entrepreneurial start-ups, even if generated from spin-offs of other economic operators, but not subsidiaries of those companies, pursuant to art. 2359 of the Italian civil code);
  • Lot no. 3, Mature ideas– reserved for entrepreneurial initiatives already tested in one or more partner countries of cooperation (Listed in OCSE-DAC, ODA Recipient countries Annex I) for which further developments are planned both in the countries of origin and in other partner countries of cooperation (so-called “scaling-up” projects.

Any requests for clarification , exclusively of general interest, should be sent to the email address faq.bandi@aics.gov.it by Sep. 11, 2017, in Italian.

Project Schedules

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done.”

N. Mandela

Publication is made here of the detailed forms relative to the  14 projects co-financed by the Agency through the  2019 edition of the Call for Tender “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to financing/co-financing and to carry out in partner countries of cooperation for the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.

This Call for Tender is the only specific operating instrument for involvement of the private-for profit sector in the system of Cooperation.

The Call is formulated and published through the work of Office VII of the AICS, now in its third edition. Coherently with the terms of the Law reforming Cooperation, in art. 27, the for-profit Calls for Tender fosters the contribution of businesses and facilitates the increase of resources available for activities of Cooperation, applying leverage to the financial contribution of the enterprises and on their ability to generate sustainable, inclusive, innovative development in the partner countries, particularly those listed as Prioritary.

Against a total contribution by AICS of about  1.6 million Euro for the initiatives admitted to co-financing, the contribution by the economic operators classified has been about  2.6 million Euro, for a total value of the initiative calculated in  4.2 million Euro.

All the initiatives approved with the for-profit Calls for Tender contribute, also, to the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda in the area of their activity.

  1. Bosnia Erzegovina GLOBE INSIDE AID12313/01/5
  2. Repubblica Democratica del Congo LISANTE AID12313/01/9 – Iniziativa Revocata
  3. Costa d’Avorio APIO AID12313/01/8
    Sintesi Attività
    Video Attività
  4. Cuba HECHO EN ITALIA AID12313/01/2
  5. Kenya JV ALMA CIS AID12313/02/4
    Sintesi Attività 2021
    Sintesi Attività 2023
  6. Kenya TREEDOM AID12313/02/2
    Sintesi Attività 2023
  7. Mozambico NOVAMONT AID12313/01/7
    Presentazione Impresa
    Sintesi Attività
  8. Palestina COT AID12313/01/4
  9. Senegal BAGNARA E SINTONI AID12313/01/1
  10. Senegal IRRITEC AID12313/01/0
    Brochure Agrilab 2022
    Presentazione 2022
    Rapporto Sostenibilità 2021
  11. Senegal MOBIQUE AID12313/02/1
    Presentazione 2022
    Iniziativa Conclusa – Sintesi Attività
  12. Sudafrica LAGITRE AID12313/02/3
  13. Tanzania ENDELEA AID12313/02/0
    Presentazione Attività
    Report Attività
  14. Tunisia EHSI AID012313/01/3Iniziativa Revocata

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done.”

N. Mandela

 

Publication is made here of the detailed forms relative to the 19 projects co-financed by the Agency through the 2018 edition of the Call for Tender “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to financing/co-financing and to carry out in partner countries of cooperation for the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

This Call for Tender is the only specific operating instrument for involvement of the private-for profit sector in the system of Cooperation. The Call is formulated and published through the work of Office VIII of the AICS, now in its second edition.

The results reported in this second experience were better than the outcomes of the first Call for Tender in 2017:

–        40 applications were filed , as compared to the 25 filed in 2017 (up 60%);

–       20 companies were assigned the AICS contribution compared to 13 in 2017  (up over 50%);

–       the average quality of the technical project proposals presented increased from an average score of 46/100 in 2017  to an average of 59/100 in 2018;

–       the total amount allocated increased, amounting to € 2,312,273.00 for co-financing with the 2018 Call for Tender, with respect to about 1.55 million Euro in 2017 (up about 50%).

The Cooperation reform law provides, in art. 27, for increasing  the contribution of the companies and the broadest participation of for-profit companies in the processes of development of the partner countries.  In line with the provisions of law no. 125/2014, this Call for Tender, uniquely among all those published by AICS, contemplates increasing the resources available for activities of cooperation with specific regard to the financial contribution of the businesses,

For 2018, against a total amount of co-financing by AICS for the participating initiatives of Euro    €2,312,273, the total value of the projects approved amounted to Euro 6,072,263: in short, every euro contributed by AICS was ‘matched’ by a contribution of almost two euros by the companies for the development of projects that were concentrated, prevalently, in Africa.

  1. Albania WEGLOBAL/AID11978
    Sintesi Attività 2021-2023
  2. Albania NSI NIER/AID11985
    Sintesi Attività 2020
  3. Brasile SUNERG/AID11975 – Iniziativa Revocata
  4. Camerun ASSING/AID11989
    Sintesi Attività 2022
    Video Biomedical Spin Off
  5. R.P. Cina PEDIUS/AID11987
    Sintesi Attività 2020
  6. R.D. Congo THREE ENERGY ESCO/AID11982
    Sintesi Attività 2020
  7. Etiopia PLANET LINKS/AID11981 – Iniziativa Revocata
  8. Madagascar VARESCO/AID11974
  9. Mozambico NEWSTER/AID11988
    Sintesi Attività 2021
  10. Palestina AGDOR/AID11977
    Sintesi Attività 2023
  11. Senegal ESPERIENZA/AID11979 – Iniziativa Conclusa
    Sintesi Attività
  12. Senegal ITAL ARGILLE/AID11968 – Approvazione Revocata
  13. Sudafrica GLANCE/AID11983
    Report Attività
  14. Tanzania LA GENERAL CHIMICA/AID11970
  15. Togo BRIO/AID11984
    Video Progetto (it)
    Video Progetto (eng)
  16. Tunisia TEROTECH ENG./AID11976 – Approvazione Revocata
  17. Tunisia LA ROMANA FARINE/AID11972
    Presentazione Progetto
  18. Uganda WORK SYSTEM/AID11986 – Iniziativa Revocata
  19. Uganda DE-LAB/AID11980
    Sito del Progetto
    Sintesi Attività
    Trasparenza
    Video Innovazione per lo Sviluppo
    Report Attività

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done.”

N. Mandela

Publication is made here of the detailed forms relative to the 13 projects co-financed by the Agency through the  2017 edition of the Call for Tender “Open procedure for the selection of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives to admit to financing/co-financing and to carry out in partner countries of cooperation for the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The tender call was drafted and extensively publicized through the work of Office VIII of the AICS and, although it was a novelty among tender called for the system of cooperation, it received a positive response from the companies targeted. Indeed, 25 companies presented proposals for initiatives in various partner countries.

The commission appointed to evaluate the project proposals examined the applications and verified that they responded completely to the criteria of the call for tender. At the end of the selection process, 13 companies had adjudicated the AICS contribution, for a total amount of € 1,556,557.

  1. Camerun FERRERO/AID11613
    Stato Avanzamento Lavori
    Video Progetto Lavori
    Sintesi Attività
  2. Costa d’Avorio AGRI ISLAND/AID11615
    Stato Avanzamento Lavori
  3. Etiopia SECOND STEP/AID11600 – Iniziativa Revocata
  4. Kenya IDRODEPURAZIONE/AID11602
    Stato Avanzamento Lavori
  5. Kenya IBARICO/AID11601 – Iniziativa Revocata
  6. Mozambico CARBON SINK/AID11609
    Report Attività 2019
    Sintesi Attività 2019
    Sintesi Attività 2020
    Sintesi Attività 2021
  7. Namibia FARM4TRADE/AID11614
    Stato Avanzamento Lavori
    Attività 2020
  8. Niger NEWSTER/AID11597 – Iniziativa Revocata
    Stato Avanzamento Lavori
  9. Palestina PIACENTI/AID11612 – Iniziativa Revocata
  10. Senegal EUREKA/AID11599– Iniziativa Revocata
  11. Sud Sudan ICOP/AID11608
    Sintesi Attività 2019
  12. Tanzania TREEDOM/AID11610
    Report Attività 2019
    Presentazione Attività 2019
    Foto Progetto
    Video Progetto
  13. Uganda ABSOLUTE ENERGY/AID11611
    Video Presentazione Progetto
    Video Progetto con Interviste
    Stato Avanzamento Lavori

 

Development +

Development + is aimed at companies or partnerships that are based in the European Union or OECD-DAC Partner Countries, and have at least one office, including a branch, in Italy, with demonstrated experience in the sector

The tool supports medium to long-term financing to facilitate investment in the venture capital of companies located in OECD-DAC Partner Countries. This is made possible through the resources of the Revolving Fund for Development Cooperation, with a maximum limit of up to €70 million.

The investment should encourage sustainable and inclusive development within its operational area by promoting job creation, in accordance with international labour conventions.

Product features:

  • The value of each qualifying investment must range between €250,000 and €10 million; the financing may not surpass 70% of the capital contributed by the applicant company.
  • The loan will last between 3 and 15 years from the date of disbursement, with a grace period for the principal of not less than 1 year and not more than 5 years.
  • The interest rate is fixed for the entire duration of the loan and is set by a special decree of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, in force on the date the contract is signed.
  • The loan may be partly or fully backed by a bank guarantee, depending on the credit rating of the applicant company.
  • The loan may also be granted for capital subscription transactions that were completed in the 12 months preceding the date on which the loan agreement was signed.
  • Half of the funds are reserved for investments by SMEs and/or companies whose activities are mainly located in priority countries for Italian Cooperation.

Updated situation of available funds

Update 06/12/2023
Reserved amount
Non-reserved amount
Initial period Remaining period Initial period Remaining period
35.000.000 € 35.000.000 € 35.000.000 € 35.000.000 €

he application for financing can be submitted as described in the document Operational Guidelines.

The documents at the following link, referred to in the “Operational Guidelines” document, contain the application forms and annexed declarations to be issued by the applicant company, as well as the templates of the contractual documentation and other documents needed for the application for and granting of loans (Forms attached to the latest version of the Guidelines)

Documents

Inclusive business models are those which integrate low-income consumers, suppliers, retailers or distributors in their core business operations, on a commercially viable basis. By adopting the models, companies build the capacity of low-income farmers and entrepreneurs; increase access to finance for suppliers and consumers; create or adapt products to meet local needs and requirements; and develop innovative distribution approaches to hard-to-reach communities.

IFC – International Finance Corporation

The idea of involving the private, for-profit sector in activities of development cooperation has been the subject of many studies and research projects. We list here a selection of useful resources, in Italian but also in English.

• Publication of the  updated recommendations for access to public funds for cooperation by private, for-profit entities prepared by Work Group no. 3 of the National Council of Development Cooperation.

• Answers to questions relative to applications for management of the initiatives adjudicated in the Tender Calls of 2017 and 2018: FAQ

• Kampala Principles on effective private sector engagement in development co-operationNew cornerstone for involvement of the private sector in cooperation.  

In the management of its financial investments, the Bank of Italy values sustainability The Bank of Italy has changed its methods of managing its financial investments, giving more weight to factors that foster sustainable growth, attentive to society and the environment. They will increase the resources applied to financing businesses with the best environmental, social and corporate governance policies.

Guidelines of the OECD on due diligence for responsible business conduct The OECD Guidelines “Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct” published in May 2018,  are now available in Italian

• G20 Inclusive Business Activities Update • Buenos Aires Leaders Declaration • G20 Call on Financing for Inclusive Business Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN)

Public-private partnerships, the role of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation Energia, ambiente e innovazione, n. 3/2018

State of the art of involvement of private Italian for-profit enterprises in international cooperation according to the inclusive business model: data, tools and modes of action De-LAB, 2017

• UN Global Compact

• UN Global Compact Network Italia

• Agenda 2030 + Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile

• UE – Coinvolgimento settore privato – ENG

• Documento di programmazione triennale 2019-2021

• Documento di programmazione triennale 2017-2019

• Documento di programmazione triennale 2016-2018

Events

Le opportunità offerte dal bando imprese dell’Agenzia sono oggetto di una serie di incontri pubblici, sul territorio nazionale, dedicati agli attori del settore profit interessati a operare nella cooperazione internazionale.

14/11/2023 –  Anteprima internazionale CODEWAY EXPO Business for Cooperation

3-5/05/2023  –  AICS a MACFRUT 2023

10-11/11/2022 –  AICS a Johannesburg per il Southern Africa Europe CEO Dialogue 

23-24/06/2022 – Coopera 2022 – Conferenza Nazionale della Cooperazione allo Sviluppo – Programma

17/05/2022 – Start Up Day 20/05/2022 (ore 14.00) Università di Bologna, Palazzo Re Enzo – Sfide, attori e strumenti dell’innovazione nel continente africano

17/05/2022 – CODEWAY 19/05/2022 (ore 14.00) – La Cooperazione Internazionale: nuove opportunità di business del settore profit

17/05/2022 – CODEWAY 19/05/2022 (ore 11.30) – Conoscere l’Africa per comprenderne le opportunità

17/05/2022 – CODEWAY 18/05/2022 (ore 14.30) – Quale ruolo per le imprese nella cooperazione internazionale?

05/05/2022 – Agribusiness: Investire con la Cooperazione italiana negli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile (c/o MACFRUT 2022)

20/04/2021 – Ore 11.00, 28 aprile 2021 | Zoom  – LE PROSPETTIVE DELL’ITALIA IN AFRICA “Il Partenariato con l’Africa”: obiettivi, opportunità e sostegno del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale

13/01/2021– Evento: COMBO, PARTENARIATI INCLUSIVI PER LO SVILUPPO: quale terreno comune di sviluppo per imprese e associazioni di migranti

24/02/2020 – Incontro su investimenti profit nella cooperazione: normativa, modelli e incentivi

30/01/2020 – Workshop Bando Profit AICS: opportunità per i professionisti

09/12/2019 – Profit e non-profit: fare spazio alla collaborazione, evento promosso da Actionaid

28/11/2019 – Il 9 Dicembre 2019 dalle ore 13.00 alle 17.30, presso la Luiss Business School, Villa Blanc (Via Nomentana 216) si terrà il Knowledge sharing event intitolato “PROFIT E NON-PROFIT: FARE SPAZIO ALLA COLLABORAZIONE“. L’obiettivo dell’evento è contribuire alla contaminazione tra profit e non profit attraverso la discussione sui modelli organizzativi, la presentazione di opportunità di finanziamento, la condivisione di esperienze concrete e di punti di osservazione diversi. L’evento è promosso da ActionAid in collaborazione con ERShub – LUISS Business school e si inserisce e all’interno del progetto “New Business for Good. Educare, informare e collaborare per un nuovo modo di fare impresa”.

07/11/2019 – Il 6 Novembre 2019 si è svolto, alla presenza del Direttore dell’AICS, l’incontro per la firma dei contratti con le imprese aggiudicatarie dei fondi del Bando Profit 2018. 
Nel corso dell’evento è stata ribadita l’importanza del ruolo del settore privato negli interventi di Cooperazione.

01/10/2019 – Il 1° Ottobre 2019 alle ore 10.00 si è svolto a Firenze, in collaborazione con la Regione Toscana, la Rete Enterprise Europe Network e il Progetto Beside un workshop sulle opportunità di business nell’ambito della cooperazione internazionale allo sviluppo, con un focus sul Bando Profit.
Confindustria Toscana
Ansamed.info

12/12/2018 – Il 12 dicembre, dalle 16.30 alle 18.30, si è svolta presso il Dipartimento di Economia Aziendale dell’Università degli Studi Roma Tre, la presentazione del bando dell’AICS riservato a idee imprenditoriali innovative a favore dei Paesi prioritari della Cooperazione italiana. Comunicato stampa 

30/11/2018 – L’Agenzia, in collaborazione con l’Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, dedicherà alle imprese e a tutti i soggetti potenziali partner di cooperazione un incontro di approfondimento sul bando profit 2018, pubblicato da pochi giorni.  L’info day si terrà il 12 dicembre 2018, alle ore 16.30, presso l’Aula 8 dell’Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, via Silvio D’Amico 77, Roma. Di seguito il programma.
• Programma Infoday bando profit

19/10/2018 – A Padova, il 25 ottobre, e a Bologna, l’8 novembre, i prossimi due appuntamenti col workshop itinerante su “Business e Cooperazione”

10/10/2018 – A Trento, il 18 ottobre, nuovo appuntamento del workshop itinerante su “Business e Cooperazione”
• Trento, 18 ottobre – Business e cooperazione

03/09/2018 – A Bari, il 10 settembre, workshop sulle opportunità per OSC e soggetti profit nella cooperazione allo sviluppo. Comunicato stampa
• Bari, 10 settembre – Business e cooperazione

29/05/2018 – Incontro territoriale a Palermo, il 7 giugno, sulle opportunità per soggetti profit nella cooperazione allo sviluppo
• Palermo, 7 giugno – Business e cooperazione

10/05/2018 – Roma, Seminario sulle opportunità per soggetti profit nella cooperazione allo sviluppo
• Università Roma Tre, 18 maggio – Business e cooperazione

10/04/2018 – A Milano il primo workshop dedicato a imprese, organizzazioni no-profit e cooperative
• Milano, 17 aprile – Convergence LAB

News

31/07/2023: Irritec in Senegal: non solo attore economico ma anche di sviluppo locale [da sustainabilityonstage.globalcompactnetwork.org]

31/07/2023: Ananas Dolcetto, il progetto si chiude nel segno del successo [da italiafruit.net]

21/03/2023: Uganda, mortalità infantile: una “zucca vuota” per combatterla: migliaia di neonati salvati  [da repubblica.it]

05/09/2022:  Facim: il Presidente del Mozambico al padiglione Italia [da: aise.it]

27/07/2022: Conferenza stampa iniziativa “AD ASTRA” (AID 11978) [da: AICS Tirana]

30/03/2022: Kokono, la culla per i neonati ugandesi prende vita [da: 3mlab.it]

22/02/2022: La forza delle B Corp, assunzioni e più utili. Italia tra i leader del mondo [da: corriere.it]

18/01/2022: Agri Island, con i principi dell’acquaponica l’agricoltura diventa sostenibile [da: roma.repubblica.it]

18/01/2022: Le mie culle per le mamme africane – Progetto Kokono [da: Gente]

02/12/2021: Maestripieri (Aics): Coinvolgiamo sempre più profit [da: direnl.dire.it]

29/11/2021Al via Codeway Expo sulla Cooperazione internazionale con focus sulle imprese [da: aics.gov.it]

29/09/2021Un arrivo attesissimo! Importanti novità nell’ambito del progetto Sviluppo dell’imprenditoria locale per lo smaltimento del RS ospedaliero a Beira, Mozambico (SIRSU) [da: trentinomozambico.org]

28/07/2021Treedom, IUV, tra 50 Pmi premiate al Food System pre-Summit [da: onuitalia.com]

16/06/2021Onu, un’italiana sul podio degli imprenditori più sostenibili: è Giulia Giuffrè di Irritec  [da: corriere.it]

13/05/2021L’iniziativa profit “Kokono” promossa da De Lab srl e cofinanziata dall’AICS  è tra i 10 finalisti (su oltre 400 domande) del Women Empowerment Award 2021 della Bayer Foundation

10/05/2021: “Progetto Kokono – sostieni l’avvio della produzione di culle green in Uganda

04/05/2021Brio e Coop insieme per l’Ananas Dolcetto a marchio Alce Nero [da: greenplanet.net]

26/03/2021Cooperazione allo sviluppo: filiera dell’ananas in Togo, positivo il bilancio del primo anno [da: onuitalia.com]

15/10/2020Un’azienda di costruzioni friulana unica in Italia a diventare “benefit” [da: udinetoday.it]

23/07/2020Loacker e la vaniglia dal Madagascar equa, sostenibile e di qualità [da: askanews.it]

05/06/2019 : Ghiaccio per i pescatori del Lago Vittoria [da: africarivista.it]

 

Training Opportunities

. The 20th Annual EU-UN Procurement Seminar, New York, 9-10 April 2024 

EUROPEAN PROCUREMENT FORUM (https://eupf.org/)
Registration opens on January 29, 2024

Video

Last update: 05/01/2024, 12:59