IsDB Transform Fund: Historical Reference for the 2020 Call for Innovation

IsDB Transform Fund: Historical Reference for the 2020 Call for Innovation

Status: historical reference. The last official Transform Fund Call for Innovation that I could verify opened on 1 April 2020 and closed on 1 June 2020. IsDB’s current Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) page contains no newer Transform Fund call, application form or deadline, and its current contact page gives the STI Division’s email for programme enquiries. No next cycle has been announced on those pages. This page therefore records the closed call rather than presenting an invented deadline.

The old page carried a deadline that does not appear in the official IsDB call record. The official Regional Hub Türkiye announcement says that the COVID-19 Call for Innovation ran from 1 April to 1 June 2020. The front matter keeps that real closing date and marks the entry as historical so readers can understand why it is not currently accepting applications.

At a glance

What the official record says now

The live IsDB STI page describes the Bank’s work in terms of deploying practical solutions, building science and technology ecosystems, and catalyzing partnerships. It identifies agriculture, infrastructure, health and education as development sectors, but it does not list the Transform Fund as an open programme. There is no call-specific form or deadline on that page. The live STI contact page tells visitors to contact the Science Technology and Innovation Division at [email protected] for more information on STI programmes.

That is a meaningful distinction. The Transform Fund still appears in IsDB publications and historical programme material, but a publication describing the fund is not the same as a live invitation to apply. The current official pages do not announce a replacement round. Until IsDB publishes one, applicants should not submit documents to a third-party form or rely on an old Engage instruction.

The historical submission route was the IsDB Engage website. IsDB’s own Transform Fund publication says applicants submitted a “Call for Innovation” there, accompanied by an initial concept note or detailed project proposal. That document is useful for understanding the old process, but it should not be treated as a live portal link. For a possible future round, ask the STI Division which channel IsDB now uses and whether the eligibility rules or instruments have changed.

What the Transform Fund was designed to support

IsDB described the Transform Fund as a US$500 million fund intended to give innovators, scientists, startups, SMEs, private companies, NGOs, governments and academic institutions access to financing for development solutions. The published fund material places the work within science, technology and innovation, with an emphasis on solutions that can benefit member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries.

The fund was not a single flat grant. Its four categories matched different stages of readiness:

1. Proof of concept. This route supported a scientifically sound idea that had enough evidence to move toward a pilot but still needed seed money. The published amount was a grant of US$50,000 to US$100,000. The proposal needed to explain the development problem, why the idea was innovative, how it could be implemented with existing technology, and how it could continue or grow after the initial support.

2. Scaling an innovative project. This route was for a project that had already been piloted in a member country or had assisted a Muslim community in a non-member country. The published ceiling was US$300,000 as equity participation by the Bank. Applicants needed evidence of outcomes, a plan for replication, a business model, target markets and financial, social and economic returns. Equity participation is not the same as a grant: an applicant considering this category would need to understand ownership, governance and dilution before applying.

3. Commercialisation. This route was for a solution that had already been implemented and scaled in multiple member countries and needed additional capital to commercialise its products or services. The published ceiling was US$1 million as equity participation by the Bank. The relevant evidence was therefore market and operating evidence, not only technical promise: a credible business model, target customers, cost and benefit assumptions, cash flow, margins and a plan for transferring the technology into a commercial product or service.

4. Capacity building in science, technology and innovation. This route was open to government entities, universities, research institutions, science foundations, technology parks and SMEs. The official call announcement published a grant range of US$100,000 to US$150,000. A proposal had to identify existing STI capacity in a particular member country, explain gaps at the individual, institutional and enabling-environment levels, and show how the proposed activities would strengthen that system over time.

The historical COVID-19 call concentrated on practical responses to the pandemic and listed six SDG areas: SDG 2, zero hunger; SDG 3, good health and well-being; SDG 4, quality education; SDG 6, clean water and sanitation; SDG 7, affordable and clean energy; and SDG 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure. Its examples included disease surveillance, health supply chains, rapid and low-cost testing, diagnostic quality, infection-control training, software and operational capacity. A future call could change its theme, so these topics should be treated as the archived call’s scope, not a promise that a new round will use the same priorities.

Eligibility and evidence for the closed call

The official material named a broad applicant pool: innovators and scientists, startups and SMEs, private companies, NGOs, government entities, universities and other academic or research institutions. The project location and beneficiary test mattered more than a generic claim that the work was global. The proposal needed to address a development challenge in an IsDB member country or serve a Muslim community in a non-member country. The published criteria gave priority to least developed member countries.

For an applicant reviewing their old fit, the most important questions are practical:

• Can you name the member-country problem, affected population and delivery setting?
• Do you have a prototype, pilot, research result or implementation partner appropriate to the category?
• Can you show a measurable result instead of only describing a promising technology?
• Do you know whether you need a grant or are prepared for Bank equity participation?
• Can the intervention be maintained, replicated or commercialised after the requested financing?

The six SDG areas were not a substitute for evidence. A project could mention health or clean energy and still be weak if it did not explain the intervention, the users, the delivery model, the risks and the expected results. For capacity building, the evidence needed to show what institutions could already do, what they could not yet do, and how the proposed activities would close those gaps.

Historical application steps

The archived Transform Fund publication describes the following sequence:

1. Submit the call for innovation. The applicant used the Engage website and attached an initial concept note or a detailed project proposal. The submission needed to describe an innovative solution to a challenge facing a member country or a Muslim community in a non-member country.
2. STI Department screening. IsDB’s STI Department initially reviewed the proposals.
3. Innovation Advisory Group evaluation. The group reviewed the screened applications and narrowed the field.
4. Scientific Advisory Board evaluation. A shortlist went to the Bank’s Scientific Advisory Board for a further review.
5. Board of Trustees selection. The final list went to the Transform Fund Board of Trustees for consideration.

The publication also says the fund could provide legal help, business-model advice and advice on intellectual-property protection to supported entrepreneurs. Those services were part of the historical programme description; they are not evidence that an application service is currently staffed or open. A new call would need to confirm the present forms, review stages, required attachments and support available.

What to prepare if IsDB announces another round

There is no current form to complete. Preparing reusable evidence can still be sensible for an organisation that fits the historical scope, provided it does not present this page as an active funding opportunity.

Start with a concise problem statement: name the country, the users, the service gap and the consequence of leaving it unresolved. Then assemble technical evidence that matches the maturity category. Proof-of-concept applicants need a credible route from the existing concept to a pilot. Scaling applicants need pilot results, replication assumptions and a plan for reaching additional communities. Commercialisation applicants need customer, market, unit-economics and governance evidence. Capacity-building applicants need a needs assessment and a costed implementation plan tied to specific institutional changes.

Keep a budget that a reviewer can reconstruct from the work plan. Separate equipment, personnel, training, deployment, maintenance, monitoring and administration. State what other partners contribute and what happens when the funding ends. Add a risk register covering procurement, regulation, technical performance, adoption, safeguarding and continuity of operations. For an equity category, document the ownership structure and decide in advance what Bank participation would mean for control and future financing.

Do not copy an old form and assume it remains current. Do not pay an intermediary that promises access to the Transform Fund. When IsDB announces a new round, confirm the notice on an official isdb.org page, verify the deadline and submission link, and then rebuild the application around the new call’s category definitions and theme.

FAQ

Can I apply now?

No current application channel is published on the official STI pages. The archived call closed on 1 June 2020. Contact the STI Division before preparing a submission for a future round.

Is the Transform Fund permanently discontinued?

The official pages reviewed do not announce a closure, but they also do not announce a new call. The accurate status is historical and inactive for applications: the fund remains documented in IsDB publications, while a current cycle has not been published.

What deadline should I use?

Use 2020-06-01 only as the archived closing date. It is not a live deadline. A new date should be added only after IsDB publishes a new call.

Is the funding a grant or an investment?

Both existed in the published structure. Proof of concept and capacity building were grant categories. Scaling and commercialisation were described as equity participation by the Bank.

Who can ask about a future cycle?

Use the IsDB STI contact page. It lists the Science Technology and Innovation Division and [email protected] for STI programme information.

Official sources

• IsDB Science, Technology & Innovation, the current programme page reviewed for a live call or deadline.
• IsDB STI contact page, the current enquiry route.
• Official IsDB Regional Hub Türkiye announcement, which records the 2020 call dates, six SDG areas and four funding ranges.
• The Transform Fund publication, which records the fund purpose, applicant categories, historical criteria and review stages.
• IsDB Development Effectiveness Report, which identifies the COVID-19 response as the fourth Call for Innovation and reports its historical results.

The Engage portal is not presented as a current application link. Its historical role is documented above, but applicants should obtain any replacement channel directly from IsDB.