World Bank offers up to $50,000 in grants to boost SME innovation in Uzbekistan

The World Bank's MUNIS project has announced the acceptance of applications for grants to small and medium enterprises under the Innovative Capability Program.

As part of the program, the World Bank will finance the development of companies' innovative potential to improve their prospects in domestic, regional, and global markets. The grants are intended for the creation or development of products, services, and manufacturing processes.

Registered companies in Uzbekistan from the following sectors are eligible to apply for funding:

- Agro-industrial and food industry;
- Mining and metallurgy;
- Mechanical engineering and automotive industry;
- Medicine and medical technologies;
- New materials and chemical technologies;
- Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

To receive the grant, the project must be implemented within a period of up to 12 months. The maximum amount is $50,000.

The project creator must provide co-financing in an amount no less than the grant. This can be done using personal funds or by seeking support from a financial or industrial partner.

The application must be written in English and Uzbek or Russian and submitted no later than September 5. Applications will be evaluated in several stages.

The MUNIS Expert Council will review the proposals for scientific, technical, and technological readiness. Then, the Grant Allocation Commission will conduct a final evaluation of the projects, approve the list of winners, and sign grant agreements with them.

Grant applicants must register through the OneID system on the portal app.wbgrants.uz.

For more information, you can contact (+998) 99 887 77 98 and (+998) 94 353 90 45, or by email at munis@wbgrants.uz. Additionally, on July 30, a seminar with World Bank experts dedicated to the program will be held at the Business Development Bank office (registration required).