Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region (MEASA). With its central theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future and three subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, Expo 2020 Dubai will convene the global community and inspire people to work together in new ways in order to create a better future. 

Expo Live is an innovation and partnership programme launched by Expo 2020 Dubai to fund, accelerate, and promote creative solutions that improve lives while preserving our planet. Expo Live will harness the convening power of a World Expo to demonstrate how innovations coming from all places and people can advance the pace of progress and inspire a more inclusive and prosperous future. With an allocation of $100 million USD, Expo Live will combine grant programmes, innovation challenges and knowledgesharing events to promote collaboration and to provide technical assistance and exposure to the innovators in the run-up to Expo 2020 Dubai.

Expo 2020 Dubai’s Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme has launched a 3rd cycle of call for proposals for innovation impact grants, opened until Dec 2. The grant offers an opportunity to receive up to $100,000 USD to entrepreneurs, SMEs, and NGOs around the world whose innovative solutions aim to have positive social or environmental impact. 

Expo Live’s flagship Innovation Impact Grant Programme will award injection funds up to $100,000 USD to support the growth of social enterprises, startups and grassroots projects from around the world whose solutions generate social value and are in line with Expo 2020 Dubai’s subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. Opening for submissions twice a year, the programme backs enterprises that offer creative solutions to pressing challenges that impact people’s lives, or help preserve the world – or both. The Innovation Impact Grant Programme looks for projects that need support to reach their full potential. This is by providing much-needed funding, business guidance and promotion to both developed and less developed markets. This builds a platform and opportunity for knowledge exchange and co-creation.

Funding levels will depend on the stage of maturity and scalability of innovations, its capacity to implement and grow, and the extent of its impacts among others. Beyond grant funding, successful grant recipients will also have access to networking and partnership opportunities, marketing and communications exposure, as well as additional funding, enabling their solutions to be showcased during Expo 2020 Dubai. The programme will also build partnerships with local business incubators, accelerators, mentors and investors in order to strengthen and promote active and productive ecosystems.

What Are We Looking For?

Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate how new innovations, or the novel application of existing solutions, could lead to an impressive impact at the community level. The Grant Programme seeks to fund advance-stage projects, which are currently in the demonstration and implementation phase.

The following five criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:

1. Relevance to theme and subtheme: Does the project create new connections to help solve global challenges in Opportunity, Mobility and/or Sustainability? Will it bring together different technologies, involve more than one discipline or make cross-border connections?
2. New or innovative solution: Will the project capture the imagination and inspire? Does the project have the potential to be showcased before or during Expo 2020 Dubai?
3. Target beneficiaries: Does the project clearly identify the community that it impacts? Can we monitor and evaluate the current and intended impacts?
4. Replication and scalability: Is the project or solution ready for demonstration or transition to-scale implementation? How will additional funding support the further development of the innovation or the scaling of the project?
5. Sound business plan: Is the project or business plan well-conceived? Does the applicant have the capacity to implement the project? Is the requested grant amount reasonable and proportionate to the anticipated impacts?

Who Can Apply?

The Grant Programme is an inclusive programme open to problem solvers from around the world ranging from social entrepreneurs, SMEs, non-for-profit organisations, and government related entities. Applicants will be able to submit one application per
grant application cycle.

How To Apply?

Applicants for an Innovation Impact Grant Programme can apply through our website. Fill out application online at: expo2020dubai.ae/expo-live. Submit a short abstract explaining the challenge you are tackling and your solution. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. The deadline for each round of submission of proposal abstracts is listed on the website.