The Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO) in Tajikistan announces a new round of call for proposals under its Small Actions Line addressing innovative interventions in:
Digitalization, IT Education and IT Ecosystems with the aim of job creation or better employability of the targeted audience within the following specific thematic areas:
- Digital and IT Education: basic and advanced IT literacy and education with a focus on semi-urban and rural areas targeted on youth, women and socially vulnerable groups of population. Educational content to be focused on cybersecurity, safe internet and social media for children, digital educational tools, e-libraries and platforms, e-commerce, programming, web designing, data analytics.
- Digital and IT Ecosystem: development of new and/or making financially sustainable existing accelerators, incubators, IT techno-parks, market-places (also for HR), sandboxes, artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; digital and fintech labs, Internet of things (IoT); infrastructure e-management, e-commerce, e-logistics, e-procurement and other applications/solutions/platforms.
Food Security within the following specific thematic areas:
- Agricultural techniques, new crops and seeds, green banks: agricultural practices leading to increase harvests in quality and quantity; Agroforestry and set up of semi-intensive fruit orchards.
- Apiculture: maintenance of honeybees and hives contributing to farmer’s direct profit as well as provision of pollination services, assuring crop yields, and helping maintaining plant biodiversity in natural ecosystems.
Climate change/environment protection within the following specific thematic areas:
- Reforestation (rural and urban): enhancement local biodiversity and microclimate, to prevent and/or stop soil erosion and preserve habitats;
- Waste management: reduction of effects of waste on the environment and human health; reduction of littering on soil, water sources and habitat areas.
- Policy Dialogue: supporting development and/or implementation of policies on climate resilience, environmental protection and green growth.
Skills development within the following specific thematic areas:
- Skills development: training certified technical/vocational professions based on market demand with on-the-job trainings (preferable); creation of carrier counselling and online and offline job intermediary services (connecting employers and jobseekers); Trainings on soft skills (IT, languages of potential migration destination).
Small Actions Line is as one-time support projects with a financial grant of up to maximum CHF 200'000 (budget currency TJS) and with a maximum duration of 12 months.
Proportion of funding is max. 80% SCO contribution and 20% partner’s or third parties’ contribution. The latter cannot be financed by the Swiss governmental funds.
Proportion of funding for private sector/commercial entities is max 50% (SCO contribution) and 50% (minimum partner’s contribution).
Eligibility of applicants:
- Non-governmental and non-profit organizations
- Professional associations and unions
- Local offices of international organizations
- Public institutions
- Private Sector (Commercial entities)
Criteria for Exclusion:
- Travel grants
- Study tours
- Charity events
- Scholarships
- Running costs of the applying organization, equipment and materials, when presented without activities.
Applicants shall submit a brief description (max. 5 A4 page, Arial 10) of the project idea/project concept in English, in the electronic form (Word format). All proposals have to contain clear goals and target groups and show the ability of the organisation to carry out the project aims.
No deadlines. Proposals will be reviewed upon their acceptance.
No additional information provided at this stage. Applicants shall not contact directly the SCO for information about the status of their proposal.
The electronic proposals should be submitted to dushanbe.smallactions@eda.admin.ch with a title Proposal for Small Project
