Description

The Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) is an Africa–Europe funding and collaboration mechanism that supports the scaling of digitally enabled, commercially viable, and climate-positive innovations through strong cross-border partnerships.

Designed to accelerate digital transformation and market expansion, JIF targets solutions that are already generating revenue and are ready to scale across African and European markets. Digital technologies, such as advanced data solutions and artificial intelligence (AI), must be central to the product, service, or business model, rather than a complementary feature.

JIF is implemented under the Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB), and part of the EU’s Global Gateway Africa–Europe Investment Package. It is co-developed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the European Union (EU), and jointly implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Finnish Public Management Institute (HAUS), leveraging their combined experience in international cooperation, innovation support and strengthening innovation ecosystems.

JIF 2026 Call: What’s New?

Following a successful pilot phase in 2025, the JIF 2026 call focuses on cross-border cooperation projects between African and European partners. The call aims to:

• Further develop the digital components of existing solutions
• Enable cross-border scaling and market replication
• Support applied, sector-specific AI solutions, especially those moving beyond experimental or generic use

All supported projects must demonstrate climate-positive impact, contributing measurably to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and/or resilience.

Funding Tracks

Applicants may apply under one of two tracks:

• Open Track
• AI Focus Track

In both tracks, the lead partner may be:

• A for-profit entity
• An Entrepreneurship Support Organisation (ESO)
• An Innovation Support Organisation (ISO), including innovation hubs

Eligiblbilities

Innovative, partnership-driven proposals

We are inviting joint project proposals from innovation consortia that:

• Consist of at least two partners forming a cross-border consortium, collaborating either between Africa and Europe or across different African countries, and led by an African partner;
• Scale digitally enabled innovations, where digital technologies are central to the solution’s functionality, impact, and growth potential. This includes a dedicated focus on high-quality, applied AI solutions that go beyond generic or experimental use;
• Build on established, revenue-generating products or services, with a clear pathway for cross-border market expansion, replication, or localisation;
• Demonstrate measurable climate-positive impact, contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and/or resilience;
• Are commercially viable and grounded in local context, while showing strong potential for regional or international scaling;
• Are led by committed and capable teams, with the technical, operational, and organisational capacity required to deliver results and achieve scale;
• Demonstrate gender responsiveness, including meaningful representation of women in leadership and/or founding roles across the consortium;
• Require strategic, non-dilutive funding to accelerate their next phase of growth and market expansion.

Eligible African lead partners must be based in one of the 14 AEDIB priority countries:

Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

European partners must be based in one of the 27 EU Member States.

Why Participate in JIF?

The Joint Innovation Facility addresses a key challenge faced by many digital and climate solutions: scaling beyond initial markets and building strong, value-driven international partnerships.

JIF promotes systemic change by:

• Strengthening African-led innovation partnerships, ensuring ownership and long-term impact
• Enabling cross-border digital scaling, with digital technologies and applied AI at the core
• Advancing climate-positive innovation, with measurable environmental impact
• Scaling what already works, focusing on proven, revenue-generating solutions

The Joint Innovation Facility offers a unique opportunity for African and European innovators to scale impact, expand markets, and strengthen collaboration across continents through digital and climate-focused innovation.

How to Apply?

Applications to the Joint Innovation Facility follow a two-stage selection process and are submitted online.

Stage 1 : Pre-screening
Complete a pre-screening application via the online platform

Stage 2: Full grant proposal

Shortlisted consortia will be invited to submit a full grant proposal

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with shortlisting carried out in two batches.