2023 Innovation Grants

THe Philippine Innovation Act, also known as Republic Act 11293, recognizes the importance of innovation in national development and sustainable economic growth. As part of the effective implementation of this law, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is authorized to issue grants for innovation programs, activities, and projects, subject to guidelines issued by NEDA and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

NEDA is now opening the Call for Proposals for the 2023 Innovation Grants until June 13, 2023, 11:59 PM. Interested proponents from various government agencies are required to authorize primary and/or alternate focal persons to create an account, complete the grant application forms, and provide supporting documents through the Electronic Innovation Grants Information System (EIGIS), accessible at: https://eigis-innovation.neda.gov.ph/.

For more detailed information, please refer to the attached guidelines or visit eigis-innovation.neda.gov.ph/resources1. For inquiries, you may reach the Innovation Fund Management Division through eigis-innovation.neda.gov.ph/contactus.

ELIGIBLE ENTITIES

Entities eligible for the submission of proposals are the following:

• Must be an agency of the government, including departments, bureaus, offices, other government instrumentalities, local government units (LGUs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), constituent units, or government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), capable of receiving and managing grants

• Attached agencies, regional offices, and operating units are eligible to submit a proposal separate from their respective central offices or parent agencies if all the following criteria are met:

1. Directly receiving funds from the DBM;
2. Must have an existing Modified Disbursement System (MDS) trust account;

• Must have a separate organization code based on the Unified Account Code Structure (UACS);

1. Recipient of fund transfers from higher-level agencies; and
2. Authorized to receive grants and/or collect revenues.

In the absence of the abovementioned requirements, regional offices and operating units should submit proposals through their respective central offices or parent agencies.

ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, AND PROJECTS

The following types of programs, activities, and projects may qualify for innovation grants. Applicants may choose to combine elements from each type as they deem relevant:

1. Pre-commercialization, Commercialization, or Diffusion Projects – refers to the pre-commercialization and commercialization activities of research and development (R&D) outputs; it includes activities beyond the ideation phase, such as prototyping, testing, intellectual property development and registration, production, and promotion activities.

It also pertains to the public sector, inclusive, or grassroots innovation, and social innovation that a proponent may undertake with the aim of introducing product innovation or enhancing existing services and processes.

1. Innovation Facilities and Services – refers to the establishment of new or enhancement of existing infrastructure or properties to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, including operating expenses for innovation centers, co-working spaces, incubation support, or shared business services, among others.

1. Innovation Culture Promotion – refers to activities which foster a culture of innovation and strengthen the innovation ecosystem such as educational programs, capacity-building activities, trade exhibits, expositions and missions, hackathons, or other platforms for networking and collaborative partnerships.

1. Innovation Policy Research – refers to research studies which aim to introduce new or significantly improved solutions relating to innovation policy and governance.

FUNDING THRESHOLD AND LIMITATIONS

The funding support threshold for the implementation of new or existing innovation-related programs, activities, and projects shall not exceed five million pesos (PHP 5 million).

The following items shall comprise the negative list for access to the funds appropriated for grants for innovation programs, activities, and projects:

1. Mandatory provision of health and social services;
2. Mandatory provision of water supply and sanitation services;
3. General construction and public works;
4. General services and administration;
5. Standalone computerization or installation of IT and telecommunications equipment;
6. Livelihood seed capital and training programs;
7. Conduct of research studies, support to ongoing theses or dissertations, or other investigatory projects involving experimental procedures to acquire new knowledge or search for application of new findings; and
8. Tourism promotion activities.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS

1. General Criteria:
   1. Proposals must be aligned with sections or themes in the Philippine Innovation Act, such as MSME innovation, regional innovation and cluster policy, strategic RD&E, innovation centers and business incubators, innovation instruments, diaspora for innovation, advocacy and community education, and with the priority areas in the National Innovation Agenda Framework.
   2. The proposal must exhibit novelty, relevance to the constituency’s needs, and the ability to create new opportunities for economic growth or social development. It must also be viable and sustainable, and its expected outcomes must result in positive changes for the target beneficiaries.
   3. Proponents are assessed based on their competence exhibited through experience, capability, and compliance.
   4. Proposals must be gender-responsive, gender-sensitive, or with promising GAD components.
   5. The primary and alternate focal persons should be part of the staff/personnel of the proponent agency, preferably holding a plantilla position.
   6. Proposals should be endorsed by the Head of the Agency.

1. Proposal submission, evaluation and approval:
   1. To apply for funding, proponents are required to authorize a primary and/or alternate focal person to create an account, complete the application forms, and provide the supporting documents through the NEDA Electronic Innovation Grants Information System (EIGIS), accessible at eigis-innovation.neda.gov.ph.
   2. Proposals that are not submitted through EIGIS will not be accepted nor reviewed.
   3. The Program, Activity, and Project Leader/Focal Person or Alternate Focal Person shall accomplish and submit the following forms:
      1. Form 1 – Grant Application Form
      2. Form 2 – Summary of Previous Innovation-related PAPs

• Form 3 – Work and Financial Plan

1. Form 4 – Line-Item Budget (auto-generated by EIGIS based on the answers on Form 3)
2. Form 5 – Undertaking

1. The primary and/or alternate focal persons shall also upload technical drawings (if applicable), the proponent’s most recent Agency Scorecard (or any proof of compliance to performance and reporting standards, such as Transparency Seal, ISO Quality Management System, FOI, Citizen’s Charter, etc.), and other supporting documents
2. Proposals shall be screened through the proposal evaluation process set under NEDA-DBM Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2023-01, and shall be endorsed by the NIC Executive Director to the NIC Executive Technical Board for approval.
3. The proposed program, activity, and components must be completed within 12 months, on or before September 30, 2024.

Resources:

1. Philippine Innovation Act
2. National Innovation Agenda Document
3. NEDA-DBM Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2023-01 (2023 Innovation Grants Guidelines)
4. Sample Form 1: Grant Application Form
5. Sample Form 2: Summary of Previous Innovation-related Programs/Activities/Projects
6. Sample Form 3: Work and Financial Plan and Line-Item Budget