Opportunity Type: Awards / Competition / Startup Development / Acceleration
Geographic Scope: ECOWAS Member States
Application Deadline: 31 August 2026

Opportunity Overview

The 2nd ECOWAS Startup Awards is a regional initiative of the ECOWAS Commission designed to identify, recognise and support high-impact startups contributing to digital transformation, regional economic integration and sustainable value-chain development across West Africa.

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), through its National Health Research Enterprise (NHRE) Programme, invites applications for research projects that address priority challenges within South Africa's health system.

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has opened its 2026 Call for Expressions of Project Intentions (AMI) under the CSO Initiatives (CSO-I) mechanism, inviting civil society organisations (CSOs) to submit project intentions for initiatives to be co-financed in 2027.

The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), in partnership with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Space Infrastructure Hub (SIH) and South African National Space Agency (SANSA), is inviting applications for the Space Innovation Initiative Call for Proposals.

The call aims to strengthen South Africa's capabilities in Space Science and Technology by supporting the development and commercialisation of locally developed, sovereign space innovations.

C3 EmpowerHer Climate 2026 is a six-month programme supporting women-led and women-benefitting climate resilience ventures across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Funded by the Resilient Futures Fund (RFF) and delivered by C3 – Companies Creating Change, the programme combines business support, technical expertise, mentorship, market access and catalytic funding to help early-stage climate resilience ventures strengthen their solutions and become investment-ready.

Applications are now open for the NEB Academy | Fashion Shift Call for Proposals, an initiative launched by EIT Culture & Creativity to accelerate the transformation of the European fashion industry through circular, regenerative and responsible business models.

Applications are now open for the Common Good Cyber Fund (CGCF) Grant Program, a global funding initiative established by the Internet Society Foundation to strengthen the public-interest cybersecurity ecosystem.

Applications are now open for the Evidence for Climate Action (E4CA): COP31 Call for Proposals, inviting researchers, evaluators and practitioners from around the world to contribute evidence that can inform international climate policy discussions at COP31.